Best Forgotten
by Catslynw
Summary: When a strange man contacts Adam in the middle of a diplomatic mission, the young prince finds his life turned upside down. Is the stranger friend or foe? Adam may die before he learns the answer to that question.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Adam leaned his elbows on the balcony railing and gazed at the city spread out below him like a twinkling sea full of stars. For an extended diplomatic mission, this one wasn't turning out to be half bad. Bahngir, the Duke of Orsinol had a good sense of humor, and he wasn't nearly as stuffy as the prince had feared he would be. Overall, Adam didn't mind the thought of spending another six days in his grace's company. As for the duke's three daughters, the girls whom the prince had worried would be constantly thrown in his face as potential wives, the girls whose beauty Adam's mother had praised repeatedly…

_Mother so set me up. She had to know not one of them was over the age of eight. _Adam laughed softly to himself as he enjoyed the play of the starlight on the sea beyond the city. _I'll give Mother credit for one thing, the girls are pretty cute. Especially little Bekka. For a five-year-old, she sure is spunky. I bet she and Teela would get along like gangbusters. _Wind tugged at his hair, sending his bangs flying and Adam yawned contentedly. He stretched, preparatory to wending his way back to his suite, and turned in place. He paused, however, when he saw that someone was watching him from the shadows of the hallway.

The man was unfamiliar to the prince, but then, so were most of the people in the foreign palace. This fellow wore the customary garb of an Orsinolian subject, the loose, dark trousers and shirt with a heavily embroidered long vest belted tightly around the waist, so Adam knew he must be a local. The man also favored jewel tones in his fabric and lots of metallic thread in his trim, and the prince rapidly pegged him as a courtier trying to look as important as he felt. _I know the type of old._

"Fair evening, m'lord," Adam said, nodding politely as the man climbed the shallow steps leading up to the balcony.

"And a fair evening to you, Prince Adam of Eternia," the stranger said, his tones smooth and rich as he moved to stand beside the boy.

As he came out into the soft balcony lights, Adam saw that his coloring was unusually fair for a typical Orsinolian. The man had a narrow face with a high forehead and his pale blonde hair was pulled back in a long tail. His eyes were dark, but in the dim lighting it was impossible to determine their exact color. _Maybe descended from one of the northern nobility lines. He might even be one of the Burassian wizards. _The prince's interest level immediately grew. _They're supposed to be pretty powerful with water-based magics. If I could learn more about how they work, I bet that would make Father happy._

Abruptly, Adam realized that he'd been staring silently at the man for a length of time that would be difficult to pass off as anything other than rudeness. Clearing his throat and embarrassedly rubbing at the back of his neck, he said, "The city is very pretty tonight."

"Hmmm…"

_Oh, that's helpful. _"I, uh, I like the way the houses look in the starlight. Whatever the roofs are made of sparkles very… uh, nicely." _Lame, Adam! Very lame! _The stranger smiled suddenly, a quick flashing grin with more than a hint of mockery to it. Adam bristled at the condescension, but he couldn't help but be dazzled by the smile itself.

"Yes, I imagine the city by starlight is lovely the first time one sees it," the man said softly, turning his head and glancing out at the vista laid before them. "I'm afraid I have become somewhat jaded with it myself."

"Oh," said the prince, uncertain how else to reply to that statement. _Now what? Can't ask him about his past; that's rude here. Can't ask him where he's from; that's too personal. _Adam smiled, rocked back on his heels and blinked hopefully at the stranger. _Help me out here, mister! _

For several second they regarded each other in mutual silence. Then, at last, the stranger said, "Are you enjoying your stay in Orsinol, Prince Adam?"

"Yes, yes I am. Thank you for asking." _Okay. He threw out a line, now it's your turn. _"I don't think I had the privilege of being introduced to you before, m'lord. May I ask your name?"

The man turned back to Adam and cocked an eyebrow. "You may ask," he replied drolly. Then, suddenly, he somehow stumbled while standing perfectly still. The prince instinctively reached out to catch the stranger as he teetered on his feet. Adam wound up with the man leaning again him, one arm slipped around his shoulders for support.

"Are you all right?" he asked urgently. "Should I send for someone?"

The man shook his head, but he did not release his hold on the young prince. "No, a brief bout of dizziness. It will pass off in a moment."

"Are you sure?" _How will I explain it if this guy gets sick? What if he falls? Maybe I should send for someone anyway... but that might embarrass him. Blast! What do I do? Where is Man-At-Arms when I need him?_

"I'm certain, your highness," the stranger replied. He shifted and more of his weight landed abruptly across Adam's shoulders. "IF you can just steady me for a minute or two…"

"Of course," Adam replied automatically. "Can I get you a chair?"

The man laughed, his body shaking against the prince's side. "No, thank you. That will not be necessary."

Adam scowled. _Not necessary. Pffft. He's not the one holding up someone nearly two feet taller than him. _"Aren't you at least going to tell me your name?" the prince grumbled. "I mean, seeing as we've become so close…"

The stranger laughed again, but before he could answer, a voice spoke in appalled tones behind them. "What in Eternia is going on here?" Man-At-Arms demanded. "Prince Adam, what are you do – " Duncan broke off in mid-word as Adam twisted around so that he and his burden were facing the his mentor.

"Man-At-Arms, I can explain. You see, I – "

"You!" Duncan cried, his eyes going very wide as he marched up onto the balcony. "What are you doing here?"

Adam blinked, uncertain what Duncan meant. Before he could ask, however, the stranger straightened by his side. "Why, good evening, Duncan," the man said, his voice dripping with scorn. "It's been a long time." His arm slipped from around the prince's back, leaving a hand cupping one of the boy's shoulders in a companionable manner.

"Get away from him," Man-At-Arms barked, his eyes flashing in the starlight. "Now!"

"Really, Duncan, there's no need to be uncivilized about this," the stranger drawled. "Adam and I were just chatting. In fact," he said cheerfully, "I should congratulate you on what a fine boy you've helped to raise. He's polite, intelligent – if somewhat limited in his vocabulary – and he does not lack for compassion. All in all, I'd say there's little room for improvement. You've all gotten yourselves a fine Prince of Eternia."

"Ummm," Adam said, starting to pull away, but the stranger's hand on his shoulder tightened decisively. "Hey!" the prince complained. "What's the idea?"

The stranger did not reply, for, at that moment, Man-At-Arms activated his hand-cannon and pointed it at the man's chest. "I – said – get – away – from – him – right – NOW!" Duncan shouted the last word, his voice echoing down around the balcony and down the long hallway beyond.

Adam flinched at the yell, then stood numbly, waiting to see what would happen next. He'd never looked down the barrel of Man-At-Arm's hand-cannon before, but he already knew he didn't like the experience. _What is going on here?_

For a moment, the stand off continued in utter silence. Then, without warning, the stranger released his hold on Adam's shoulder, stepped behind the prince and… vanished in a swirl of light. As he slipped away, the prince heard his parting words quite distinctly. "Until we meet again, Adam. You will be in my thoughts."

Crossing the distance between them at a trot, Duncan turned the prince in a rapid circle. "Are you all right, your highness? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Adam's mind was whirling, spinning as madly as the lights into which the stranger had dissolved. "What was that all about?" he asked, staring with bafflement into Duncan's pale face.

* * *

Adam stretched and yawned as the city of Eternos came into view, his father's palace towering over it. Man-At-Arms, who had piloted the windraider for the whole of their return journey from Orsinol, glanced into the backseat where the prince was stretched out. "Have a nice nap?" he asked.

Adam mumbled an affirmative and shrugged. He yawned again, rubbed his face, then climbed bonelessly over the partition to join his mentor in the front compartment. Slouching in his seat, he watched Man-At-Arms out of the corner of his eyes.

"Something to say, your highness?" Duncan asked, his voice disgustingly cheerful for the hour following dawn.

"Yeah," the prince grumbled. "I still don't understand why we had to leave so suddenly. I mean, even if my father did send for us, why did we have to leave in the middle of the night? Couldn't we have waited until morning?"

"Why wait?" Duncan replied, countering a question with a question as he so often did.

Adam scowled as he watched Eternos zoom by beneath them. _If I could get rid of just one of Man-At-Arms' annoying habits, this would be the one. He never gives me a straight answer about anything. _The prince folded his arms on the side of the windraider and rested his chin on his crossed forearms. They were traveling far too fast for any of the city's morning odors to reach his nose, but just thinking about all the fresh-baked bread down there made Adam's stomach growl with hunger. It did not improve his mood. "It feels like we ran away," he complained. "Things were going so well, and now Duke Bahngir is going to be angry with us for ducking out on him!"

Sighing, Duncan set the autopilot and turned to face his charge. "Adam, we did not 'duck out' as you put it. I informed the duke's secretary that we'd received an urgent summons to return to Eternia at once. Bahngir is a reasonable man; I'm sure he'll understand why we left so hastily."

"But – " Adam began, only to be forestalled by Duncan's continuing monologue.

"As for the rest of it, yes, things were going well." Willing to take whatever praise he could get, even if it wasn't from his own father, Adam sat back in his seat and looked hopefully at his mentor. Man-At-Arms smiled sympathetically and reached out to place a hand on the prince's shoulder. "I know how important it was to you that you make a success of this mission, Adam. I promise you, King Randor will know how much effort you put into the new trade agreements."

"But they're not even half finished!" Adam protested. "If we'd stayed just one more day I could at least have – oh, what's the use?" Folding his arms across his chest, the prince slumped in his seat, refusing to look at the older man.

"Adam, surely you don't think your father will blame you for this? He sent for us, after all."

"If Dad's summons is so urgent, why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Your highness, I already told you that I'm not at liberty to discuss – "

_He's 'your highnessing' me. He's lying about something, he doesn't trust me or he doesn't think it's worth his time to tell me. I just wish I had a clue what was going on. _"Whatever," Adam interrupted sullenly. "Obviously, it has nothing to do with He-Man or you would've told be by now. So forget it."

Man-At-Arms sighed slowly. He sounded decidedly put upon, but the prince refused to feel guilty. _This is all crazy. Nothing makes any sense. I just know it has something to do with that man. _Adam blew absently at a strand of hair that kept falling into his eyes. _And what did he mean, I'd be in his thoughts. I mean, if I was a girl I know how I'd take that, but I'm not a girl. _Exasperated on too many levels, Adam reached up and yanked the wayward hair out at the root. _Ouch. _

"You shouldn't do that," Man-At-Arms noted wryly. Adam glared at him, but didn't deign to reply. Minutes later, they were landing in the royal family's private hangar. Fed up and foul-tempered, the prince hopped out before the vehicle had completely touched down. Before he could storm off, however, he found himself pulled into a clutching embrace.

"Dad?" he squeaked, his voice muffled by his father's fur cloak. Abruptly, fear seized at his heart and he pulled determinedly away. _I need to see his face. I'll know, if I can just see his face._ "What happened?" he demanded. "Is Mother all right? Did Cringer get hurt, or – "

The king blinked, looking perplexed for a moment, then shook his head quickly. "No! No, of course not, Son," he said, his voice suspiciously gruff as he allowed the boy to pull away. "Don't be ridiculous. Everything is fine. There's nothing for you to worry about."

The prince stared at his father, dumbfounded. Startlingly, the king began to squirm slightly under the force of his gaze. "Nothing's wrong?" Adam said slowly, "_Nothing_ is _wrong_?"

Randor cleared his throat. "No, Adam."

"Then why," the prince shouted, his voice rising with each word, "Did you call us home in the middle of the night?!"

The king's brows dipped down dangerously, his eyes flashing. "Don't take that tone with me, young man. I had my reasons, and they are not yours to judge!"

"Fine!" Leaving his cases for the servants to deal with, something he normally never did, Adam darted away, out of the hangar and into the depths of the palace gardens. _Adults are utterly insane!_

Paying very little attention to those he passed in the halls and hedgerows, the prince dashed for his favorite climbing tree. If he was lucky, he could be up it and well hidden before his father recovered sufficiently to send anyone in search of him. He turned a corner and spied the base of the tree, a great, bushy old willow, in the distance. He sprinted straight for it and was halfway up the trunk and into the lower boughs before he realized that _his _tree was already occupied.

"Teela," he exclaimed, his heart pounding from the shock of seeing her, sitting there in the crook of one enormous limb, sitting in _his_ spot. "What are you _doing_ up here?"

"Shhhh," she hissed frantically, waving her hands at him and scowling fit to frighten the dead. "If she heard you, I swear I'll – "

"If who heard me?" Adam hissed back at her. "Why are you in my spot? You never come up here anymore."

She glared at him. "I'm hiding, you idiot, obviously."

The prince sneered at her, in no mood to be mocked by someone who used to be his closest friend. "I thought hiding was only suitable for cowards like me?" he challenged. "Have you suddenly lost your nerve, Captain?"

"You wish," Teela snapped, leaning toward him, her sun-dappled face a study in annoyance. "If you must know, I'm up here trying to avoid Amberli.

"Who?" Adam asked, most of his ire draining away in favor of genuine bafflement. "Isn't she a – "

"Courtier," Teela finished for him, her tone suggesting that a courtier was one step above a slug – one very shallow step that is.

The prince grinned at the familiar old disdain, thankfully not directed at him. "I was going to say, 'Isn't she a kid?' I mean, she's twelve or something, right?"

The captain groaned, her shoulders drooping until she was all but folded in half. "Thirteen. She's thirteen."

"So what's the problem?" While he waited for her answer, Adam shifted to the next bough above his, one that's angle would make talking with Teela decidedly easier. _Not to mention that it will be harder for her to kick me up here. Boy is she in a snit. _  
"Do you remember when I went to that fair with Captain Coneli?"

"Yeah," Adam said as he swung into position just above and to her left. "I told you it was a mistake."

His friend growled, her teeth looking oddly bright in the half-shadow of the leaves. "How kind of you to point that out now." The prince shrugged. Teela snorted and continued her explanation. "Well, after that one outing, which he brought Amberli, his sister, along for, she decided that I was her new best friend."

"So?"

"SO!" Adam shushed her and she grudgingly lowered her voice. "So, she follows me everywhere lately. I guess she's decided that she wants to be a guard, 'just like you, Teela.' Coneli is ticked off because he thinks I put her up to it, and – if you can believe this! – he thinks I'm trying to steal her respect from him to get back at him because he never asked me out again! She's making me insane," Teela snapped. "Coneli is about one more wisecrack away from getting his attitude adjusted by yours truly, for which we would both get in trouble since we're supposed to set a good example for the junior officers, and I can't seem to convince the kid to go bug someone else!"  
Adam stared at a point over her head while he digested that information. When he was sure the tirade was finished, he said, "Is she really that bad?"

"Yes," Teela said adamantly. "She asks the same question over and over again, and half of the questions she does ask are so infuriating I want to shove her out a window."

"Like what?" the prince asked, beginning to enjoy himself as Teela's tale unfolded. _Who knew that Teela could act like a normal person anymore. Maybe some things don't change after all._

"Like whether pretty girls are allowed to be guards – apparently, I'm not pretty enough for her to be certain," she noted in abject disgust. "Like whether she could have her uniforms custom tailored because of her sensitive skin. Like whether being a female guard is a good way to meet a rich, noble, handsome husband. Like – "

"Okay! Okay, I get the idea," Adam said, grinning from ear to ear. "You're right. She's a complete pain and you are perfectly entitled to hide in my tree. In fact, feel free to make use of it whenever Operation Amberli strikes."

Amused in spite of her mood, Teela snickered and smiled back at him. "Thank you, your highness. Your gift is both magnanimous and greatly appreciated." Teela pulled a stray leaf out of her pony tail and began to twirl it absently between her fingers as she regarded him with something like her old affability.

"So, what's your story," she asked after Adam heaved his third, less than subtle sigh.

"My father, the king, has gone utterly, totally, barkingly mad," he said matter-of-factly.

Teela blinked, then dropped the leaf as one side of her mouth quirked up in a barely suppressed grin. She was clearly controlling laughter; he could hear it in her voice when she spoke again. "That's really not a very nice thing to say about your own – "

"So has yours," the prince added resolutely.

"Oh," Teela said, her eyes widening. "That sounds serious then."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It took the better part of an hour for Adam to fill Teela in on all the gory, remarkably confusing details of their fathers' apparent madness. When he was finished, the captain gaped at him for several seconds, and then she said just about the last thing he'd have expected her to say. "I have absolutely got to use a privy, or I'm going to embarrass both of us beyond recovery."

As it was, the prince blushed crimson as he frenetically nodded his understanding. "Uh, yeah, of course. Go ahead."

"Should we meet in your room?" she asked as she positioned herself to begin climbing down the tree.

"Meet?" he repeated, his brain still too mortified to function properly.

Teela sighed dramatically. "Yes, your highness. Meet… so we can keep talking?" When he remained silent, she drawled, "Gee, Adam, I haven't managed to get your goat this thoroughly in years. I really do need the privy, though. So hurry up and tell me, where do we meet?"

"I'm so glad you're enjoying this," he snapped half-heartedly. "Not my room. Father may come looking for me. We'd better make it your room. We haven't been getting along lately, so – "

"They won't expect you to be there. Got it." As she began to climb down, her face moved briefly into the direct sunlight, and Adam saw that she was flushed nearly as brilliant a pink as he was. _Good. Serves her right._

Rather than wait for her to finish her descent, the prince began to climb down the other side of the tree. He dropped dangerously quickly from branch to branch, half hoping to show her up by beating her down. When he reached the bottom, however, she was already gone. As he walked around the trunk of the enormous tree, he spotted a gardener watching him with a decidedly odd look on his face. An oddly disapproving look. _Swell. Another adult who thinks I'm doing something wrong. Whatever._

As he left the garden, Adam debated whether it would be better to take the long route to Teela's room, thereby avoiding the areas where his father and Man-At-Arms would be most likely to search for him, or whether to just take the direct route and hope he didn't get caught. As he entered the east wing, his nerve deserted him and he decided on the short route, all but running to Teela's chambers.

She wasn't there, but Adam slipped inside anyway, knowing she wouldn't mind under the circumstances. Looking around at the sparse furniture – Teela had a thing about tidy, uncluttered spaces – Adam decided the only comfortable place to wait was on the bed. He leapt into the air and belly flopped onto the foot of the large bed. He was still bouncing when Teela entered. Seeing him, she walked over, and jumped up to sit cross-legged against the headboard.

For a moment they just stared at each other while Adam kicked his feet, scissor fashion, off the side of the bed and Teela fussed with her armlets. "So…" she demanded when he said nothing.

"So what?" he asked, puzzled. _Either I'm over-reacting or she is seriously under-reacting to what happened._

"Finish your story."

"It is finished," he said, rolling over and sitting up to face her more clearly.

"But – " She broke off, groping for the words to express herself. Adam had seldom seen her look so shocked. "My father didn't tell you anything about that man you met?" she said, her tone appalled. "After leveling his hand-cannon at the guy?"

_Oh… good. I wasn't overreacting. _"Not one thing," Adam confirmed, feeling his anger return abruptly as he recalled the way that his mentor had stonewalled him. _What right does he have to keep secrets from me? After everything I've done, everything I've sacrificed to protect Grayskull?_ "He wouldn't even tell me the guy's name, but it was obvious they knew each other."

"That's just crazy!" the captain exclaimed, thumping her skull head against the headboard. "That is absolutely crazy! Do you think the king knows about that man?"

"Of course he does," Adam blurted, his own frustration eating away at him. "Why else were we _called _home for absolutely no apparent reason? They're hiding something and I mean to find out what it is."

His determination must have shone in his face, for Teela eyed him solemnly, saying nothing for several seconds. Finally, after a number of false starts, she tentatively said, "Maybe you shouldn't know."

Fury suffused Adam. _I should have known. I should have realized that I couldn't trust her anymore. She's going to tell them, and I – _

Obviously noticing his reaction, Teela rushed on. "I mean, maybe there's a good reason for them not to tell you who that stranger was. Maybe it's for your own… " She trailed off, scowled, then slapped a hand to her forehead. "What am I saying?"

Regaining control of his temper and giving in to his sense of whimsy, Adam replied, "You were saying that you're going to help me find out what our fathers are hiding."

"Right," Teela agreed, smiling timidly at him. "What else would I do?"

Adam suppressed a surge of guilt for doubting her. _Maybe, we can still make this work. Maybe it's not too late to get past the He-Man thing._

Reaching around behind her, the captain grabbed her ponytail, pulled it forward and began absently braiding the end of it. "So, now what?"

Sighing, Adam went limp, falling backwards and flopping on the mattress. He stared up at the distant ceiling, wishing he had a good answer for that question. "I have no idea," he admitted reluctantly. _And now Teela blurts out the dozens of ideas she's gotten in the last thirty seconds. _

"What about Queen Marlena?" she asked. "Do you think she might know who our mysterious stranger is?"

Adam sat up so quickly that the room spun a dizzying 180 degrees. "Mother? Why didn't I think of that?"

Teela shrugged. "You're male. Father says you'll keep maturing and mentally catch up with me in a few years. In the meantime, you're an idiot. It just works that way."

* * *

Fired up by Teela's suggestion that Queen Marlena might know who the stranger was, Adam went in search of his mother.

It had always been easier for the prince to talk to his mother than to his father. Though Adam loved and admired his father, just as he did his mother, that did not make King Randor of Eternia an easy man to be close to. Adam had vague, increasingly dim memories of childhood days when his father had found the time for him. He remembered stolen afternoons playing fort and entire days when the two of them would slip away to go fishing, or hiking or to just wade through creeks in the Evergreen Forest. But those days were long gone and appeared unlikely to return. As the prince entered adolescence, Randor seemed to be a king first and a father second. Affairs of state – and the appearance of decorum – took precedence over the feelings and concerns of his only child. Since Adam's sixteenth birthday, when he'd seemingly fled from battle and, as far as anyone else could tell, abandoned his father to a hideous death at Skeletor's hands, things had been even worse than usual. Adam didn't like the distance that had grown up between them, but he would not betray the trust that the Sorceress and the Elders had placed in him by revealing He-Man's secret. Failing that, what else could he do?

_Answer… nothing. There's nothing I can do. Father's never gonna like me any better than he does right now. _Adam grimaced. _But that doesn't mean he can get away with acting like a lunatic. I love him, and I will _not_ have a wacko for a father._

Adam's relationship with his mother was, thankfully, a whole different story. Queen Marlena seemed effortlessly to balance the demands of monarchy and motherhood, and the prince knew that he could count on her to be there for him, no matter what came. And more importantly at this moment, Adam could count on her to be honest with him. If she knew who the stranger was, she would tell him. And if she didn't know – _Then she'll wrangle the information out of Father and Man-At-Arms._ _No one can intimidate Duncan like my mother can._

Teela and Duncan's rooms were located within the royal family's personal wing, as were the rooms of those of the Masters who permanently resided at the palace. It took Adam very little time to run the distance from Teela's chamber to his parents' suite since he didn't try to hide his progress. It was two hours until the noon meal. At this hour of the morning, the king was always closeted with his foreign advisors, so the prince had no fear of running into his father. _If Mother is in her solar, then I'm set. I can chase off the old bats dancing attendance on her and have her all to myself until noon. By the time Father comes to join her for their usual private luncheon, hopefully I'll know everything I need to know._

When Adam reached the door to his parents' suite, he knocked lightly and then ducked inside without waiting for permission. To his surprise the sitting room and its attached solar were both empty. _Great. Of all times for her to be gone. _Frustrated, Adam turned to go. As he walked through the sitting room, he saw that the door to his parents' bed chamber was ajar. More importantly, there were voices coming from inside the room. Adam almost called out to his mother, but then he remembered one vitally important fact. Queen Marlena never received guests in the bed chamber she shared with her husband. Even Man-At-Arms rarely ventured into that private sanctum. If his mother was speaking with someone, it was either a servant or it was Adam's father.

Moving as quietly as he could, the prince crept up to the edge of the doorway, straining to make out what the queen and her companion were saying. Being careful to stay out of sight, he hovered by the hinges, and in moments he knew that his fears were justified.

"But Marlena!" the king exclaimed. "What should I have done?"

The queen sighed audibly. "I don't know, Randor. But almost anything else would have been better."

_So Mother does know what's going on, _the prince thought gleefully. _And she's not happy with something Father did – probably calling me home like that – so maybe she _will_ tell me the truth. _

"Better?" Randor demanded hotly. "Should I have left him there then, with that madman running around, planning the Elders only know what?"

"No, of course not, but – " She stopped speaking and Adam heard the distinct sound of a body falling onto a cushioned piece of furniture. "This is just so frustrating," she said after a long moment of silence.

_You're telling me,_ Adam thought.

"Do you really think that he suspects?" the king asked. Adam waited for his Mother's reply, barely breathing. To his shock, it was not she who answered.

"Yes, sire," Man-At-Arms replied dryly. "I do think that Adam suspects we're hiding something from him. After all, we _are_ hiding something from him."

_By the Elders! Are they having a conference… and in Mother and Father's bed chamber? What in all Eternia is going on? Are they all lying to me? Even Mother? Even my – my Mom…_

"And why wouldn't he, after the incredible scene each of you made," Marlena snapped. "Duncan, what can have possessed you to draw a weapon on that – "

"He's dangerous!" Randor shouted, causing the prince to jerk slightly where he stood, eavesdropping on them. "You know he's dangerous, Marlena. What should Duncan have done?"

"I don't _know _anything of the kind!" his mother cried, her volume nearly matching the king's. "He was never convicted of crime, and it's been years since we saw him last. We don't know why he came back now. We don't know much of anything except that he was seen speaking with Adam."

_They are definitely talking about my mysterious stranger. So what's the big deal? Why are they all so freaked out? Who is this guy?_

"You don't find that alarming?" Man-At-Arms said, his tone calm as ever – and quiet enough that the prince had difficulty hearing him clearly. Adam leaned his ear against the crack between the partially open door and its jamb, praying that no one in the other room would notice his shadow.

"Neither of you was ever willing to give him a chance," she countered. "If he did bear a grudge against us, well, I for one would hardly blame him. He lost a great deal because of – "

The queen never finished her argument, for the king shrieked, "Marlena! Surely you don't blame me for what – " Startled by his father's outburst, Adam lost his precarious balance and one of his elbows bumped the door. It swung open a further two inches and the prince took off like a shot. _If they catch me now I'll be grounded for life!_

"Who's there?" Duncan demanded, his query immediately followed by the unmistakable sound of his hand-cannon morphing into existence. "Stay back, your highness. It might be Jared!"

Hugging the wall to stay out of sight as long as possible, Adam sprinted across the sitting room and into the solar, then dashed for the balcony doors. He was through them and over the edge of the balcony before he heard any actual pursuit. As he slipped into the bushes at the base of the wall, crawling on hands and knees to reach the corner of the building, one thought rang clear in his mind.

_I know his name! I know his name! _

* * *

Adam had agreed to meet Teela in the palace stables once he finished speaking with his mother. While he went to question the queen, Teela was supposed to be pumping Man-At-Arms for information. Afterwards, the adolescents would pool their knowledge. Unfortunately, the prince had good cause to know that the captain could not possibly have interviewed her father as intended. _Not when he was holed up in my parents' bed chamber,_ Adam thought angrily. _They're all in on it. They're all lying to me. Why is Mother lying to me?_

They were bound to suspect that he was the one who'd been listening in on their private conversation. He had to get away from the palace for a while. He needed to buy himself some time to think and a space to do it in. He ran swiftly, making his way to the stables where Teela was no doubt waiting to relay her complete lack of news. As he a neared that massive structure, however, he saw something that made every thought of the mysterious Jared slip from his mind.

A doomseeker hovered in the air beside a fir tree, all but invisible in the dappled light of the tree's boughs. It did not appear to be looking in his direction at the moment, and Adam reached his hand slowly toward his waist, feeling for his comlink. His fingers closed on empty air. _I left the stupid thing behind so Father couldn't track me down… Great! Just great!_ Cursing himself for an idiot, the prince began to back down the path, never taking his eyes from the mechanical spy. _What is it watching? What is it searching for?_

He didn't dare go after the doomseeker himself, it was too high off the ground and would vanish before he could possibly damage it. Becoming He-Man wasn't an option. The nearest place to hide was too far away, and the robot might see his transformation. _But what a coup it would be for me to capture a doomseeker! Just scaring it off isn't enough – not if I want Father to take me seriously. _He needed to find a guard, someone with a comlink. He continued backing slowly away, anxiously watching the faint, shadowy outline of the mechanical spy.

When Adam bumped into someone, he craned his neck over his shoulder and urgently whispered, "Do you have a comlink?" He couldn't quite see who was standing just behind him because he was still watching the doomseeker out of the corners of his eyes. Without asking any questions, the person silently placed a small metal object into the prince's outstretched hand. "Thanks," Adam muttered as he quickly activated the comlink.

The device wasn't one of the standard utilitarian ones used by the Masters and the palace guards. It was a highly decorative model, clearly designed with aesthetics in mind as well as function – the kind of thing that a wealthy nobleman or merchant might purchase for his private use. Luckily, it took Adam no real time to reset the device's broadcast channel and summon the nearest of the Masters to his position.

As an assortment of the Masters appeared, the doomseeker fled its hiding place and took to the skies. Stratos – Lord of Avion and an old comrade of King Randor's – went speeding after it, his jetpacks firing. Sy-Klone, one of the newest members of the Masters, accompanied him. The prince watched morosely as they pursued their quarry and disappeared into the distance. Even if they caught the doomseeker, Adam knew that it was highly unlikely that he would get any credit for the capture. _My life sucks. Truly._

Sighing, the prince turned, holding out the comlink, ready to return it to its owner. But there was no one there. "Hello!" he called, turning and scanning the walkways, flowerbeds and garden retreats that surrounded the path to the stables. No reply was forthcoming. _Swell. _Turning the comlink over in his hands, Adam searched for a maker's mark or owner's signature. The enamel work was stunning, the overall design quietly attractive, but there was nothing that resembled an identifying mark of any kind. Nothing.

Tucking the device into his vest, Adam continued down the path toward the stables. _Well, whoever it was will know who to ask for their comlink. They probably just took off when they realized that a doomseeker was nearby. Courtiers. Blah. _The prince rubbed his forehead. He could almost hear his mother's voice, chastising him for his negative attitude toward the courtiers. _"Be nice, Adam. The gentleman did stay long enough to give you the comlink, after all. He could have fled at the first sign of trouble."_

"I don't want to be nice," Adam muttered to himself. "I want to be cranky. It's my right to be surly." He kicked out, his foot connecting sharply with the doorjamb as he entered the main stable. It didn't hurt the structure, but the prince's big toe began to throb slightly.

Disgusted with life in general, his family in specific and courtiers all around, Adam wandered past stall after stall, searching for Teela. He stopped periodically to greet various horses, patting their large noses and scratching their ears. His friend had agreed to meet him before a very special box. When he got there, however, she was nowhere to be seen. Annoyed, the prince stopped and leaned on the stall's lower door to wait for Teela.

"Hi Clomper," he said as he bent forward and began to scratch the old horse's muzzle. "How ya been?" The horse scented the air, and, obviously recognizing a familiar odor, walked closer to the door. He whuffled at Adam's hair and the prince laughed. "Yeah, I miss you too, boy."

For years, Clomper had been Adam's personal mount, and he'd often refused to ride at all when the massive bay was unwell or simply unavailable. Queen Marlena had been less than comfortable with her son's determination to ride one of the largest horses in the stables at a time when a pony would have better suited the diminutive prince. But Adam was unwavering in his appeals. When his father caved, his mother soon followed. The horse had been dubbed Wanderlust by the man who'd sold him to the royal family before Adam was born. It had taken the juvenile prince less then ten minutes to rename his plodding mount Clomper.

Docile and even tempered, Clomper had never protested – had in fact hardly seemed to notice – when Adam brought a tiger along on their daily rides. Cringer cowered at first, but over time he became accustomed to the bay's slow and leisurely pace. The laziness of both his pets was a source of court gossip and disdain, but the prince never cared. There were enough hectic, babbling courtiers in the world. Afternoons lazing with Clomper and Cringer were good for his sanity and his soul. Watching the horse and the tiger play an occasional game of tag never hurt anything either. Even his stoic father had been known to laugh at the sight of a green and gold blur running from the fat old horse. It had been an idyllic childhood. But even before the Mystic Wall came down, life was far from perfect.

Shortly after Adam's thirteenth birthday, the prince had been forced to admit defeat in his quest to have no other mount. Clomper had been an adult when Adam himself was a mere infant. By the time the prince entered adolescence, the horse had officially entered his own old age. One afternoon, Stablemaster Elias had come to see the Adam and his parents. As gently as he could, the man had explained that Clomper was no longer young enough to be ridden. Worse, the bay was beginning to go blind. The young prince had sobbed unconsolably for days, had even taken to sleeping in Clomper's stall until Randor – in a rare moment of weakness – promised not to have the horse put down. He added but one condition to his pledge.

"Adam, if Stablemaster Elias ever tells me that Clomper is in pain or unhappy, then we will have to do the right thing. It wouldn't be fair or kind to force him to live with pain we can't repair." The king had stopped speaking for a moment, gently placing his hands on either side of his son's face. "Do you understand?"

The prince wasn't certain that he did understand, but he hastily agreed. _I was so young then. I would have agreed to anything, said anything to keep you around, old friend. _Adam extracted a Cringer treat from a vest pocket and offered it to the horse. Clomper sniffed it, gummed it briefly, then snatched it happily from the flat of Adam's hand. "Good boy," the prince murmured, rubbing the bay's neck.

Glancing over, Adam checked the schedule by the stall door and saw that Clomper had already been for his morning run. If he wanted to take the old horse out and lead him on the next day's run, the prince would have to arrive quite early. "Worth it, though." Clomper never lacked for company, but he always got a little frisky when Adam came in person to take him out. His blindness didn't prevent the old horse from enjoying his time in the wind and sun, and the prince hated to neglect him in any way.

"What's worth it?" a voice unexpectedly asked, coming from just behind Adam.

_I know that voice, _he thought as he whirled in place. Clomper shied away, alarmed by his sudden movement and began to whicker worriedly. Adam's eyes widened as he stared at the man standing before him. _Jared!_

For several seconds Adam just gaped at the man standing before him, flummoxed by the stranger's presence here in the royal stables. _How did he get in here? _Why_ is he in here? _But there could be no doubt of the man's identity, with the pale blonde hair and aristocratic bearing, the prince would have recognized him even if he'd appeared wearing a barrel rather than the flashy silks he currently sported. _Jared, _Adam thought, his mind racing. _It's Jared. And he's dressed like a courtier – like an Eternian courtier! Who _is_ this guy?_

"Uh… hi," Adam ventured slowly, his eyes traveling slowly up and down the stranger's frame, taking in the spotless clothing, the artistically tousled hair and the – The prince leaned forward slightly, peering intently at Jared's face. _Green! His eyes are green! Orsinolian's don't have green eyes! _

"Good day to you, your highness," The stranger said, his lips curling and one eyebrow climbing in wry amusement. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No!" Adam blurted, suddenly realizing that he was staring in an unforgivably rude way at the older man. Flushing, he took a hasty step back and cleared his throat. "Sorry," he muttered. "I think I'm having an attack of bad manners."

"That's quite all right, your highness," Jared replied, moving closer to Clomper's stall. "I am accustomed to arousing unusual interest in those I meet." As his own face became a blank mask, the stranger shifted his gaze from the prince to the stall and its placid occupant. Reaching out a steady hand, he allowed the horse to sniff his palm. When Clomper whuffled hopefully at his fingers, Jared began stroking his muzzle. "Is this beast your mount?"

"He used to be," Adam said, a hint of sadness leaking into his tone despite his current preoccupation with his mysterious visitor. "But he's blind now, so I don't ride him anymore." Stepping up beside the stranger, the prince began vigorously scratching the ancient stallion's muzzle.

"Ah," Jared said, his expression never changing from its studiedly neutral facade. "That's a shame. I've always thought that pets should live on as long as their masters do. I myself would give everything I possess to have Phemera returned to me. It's cruel thing for a child to lose a dear friend."

"Was Phemera a horse?" Adam asked, his interest caught by the genuine pain he heard in the man's melodious voice. He offered Clomper another Cringer treat as he waited, wondering if the stranger would answer him – or whether Duncan would run in here and pull a gun on him again. The prince was abruptly, uncomfortably aware of just how close the man was standing to him. Adam was quick and not unskilled as a warrior, but at this close a range, with his sword still sheathed, he'd be in serious trouble if the fellow decided to attack him. _I should call someone and let them know what's happening. I should._

Jared lips twitched, the slightest hint of a smile shaping them. "Phemera was a Boravian tiger, I believe you call them Snow Tigers here. She was my dearest friend for many long years."

"A Snow Tiger!" the prince exclaimed. "But – I didn't think they could be domesticated!"

The stranger lost control of his smile, grinning broadly and laughing aloud. "My dear boy, Phemera was _never _domesticated, I assure you. She would have been highly offended by the very notion."

Adam blinked and regarded the stranger with undisguisable fascination. "Is it true that they're telepathic?"

Turning, Jared leaned against the stall's closed lower gate and met Adam's gaze with his own. "I see you know something of tigers," he said approvingly. "However, in this case, you are incorrect. The telepathic abilities of snow tigers are a myth. The females are empathic – no doubt the source of the legend."

"Really?" Adam said, his eyes widening excitedly. "That's cool. How did you get one?"

"She got me, so to speak. When I was a young boy, many years younger than you are now, I became lost in a particularly large and forbidding forest. Phemera found me. For whatever reason, she took pity on me and helped me to find my way back to civilization. To everyone's surprise, she stayed with me for the rest of her life." Jared's eyes became distant for a moment, as if he were seeing something far beyond the boundaries of the royal stables. "She even went so far as to learn to ride in a sky glider with me. Though she made it quite clear she thought it was a ridiculous form of transportation. I think she found the very notion of flying like a bird to be offensive."

All but bouncing with his enthusiasm, Adam said, "Cringer, he's my tiger, he goes everywhere with me! And he rides in windraiders all the time!"

"Oh?" Jared tilted his head, clearly intrigued. "What species of tiger is he?"

"Eternian."

"And, where is he now?"

Much of Adam's enthusiasm drained away in an instant. Dropping his eyes, he explained. "Cringer went for his yearly physical examination in (name a distant city). They have an expert on Eternian tigers there."

"Is he unwell?" Jared asked softly.

"Oh no," the prince replied quickly, feeling ill himself at the very notion of his beloved pet being sick. "That's why he went for a checkup, to make sure he stays healthy. He hates it, though. He's, umm, he's sort of timid and strangers terrify him. Normally, I go with him, but this time I couldn't." Adam shuffled his feet, suffused with guilt. Since the fiasco with Jared and Man-At-Arms the previous evening, the prince had hardly given his distant pet a second thought. "I should have gone with him," he said gloomily.

"Why didn't you?" His tone was neither accusatory nor overly sympathetic, merely curious. Its very blandness somehow made Adam feel less self-conscious.

"I got sent on an assignment, which is stupid because then we came back before – " The prince broke off, suddenly and acutely aware of just whom he was speaking with. _We came back because of him, because of Jared. _Adam's eyes narrowed as he contemplated the events of the previous evening. _That's not really true though. Jared didn't make us leave. That was Father's decision, him and Man-At-Arms. Jared had nothing to do with it._

"You did depart from Orsinol rather unexpectedly," the stranger noted in a politely perplexed tone. "I do hope none of your loved ones are unwell?"

"No, they're all fine," Adam said. Then, remembering his manners, he added, "Thank you for asking."

Jared responded with an upward tilt of his lips and a slight incline of his head. "I am relieved to know that all is well. I was concerned that there must be some difficulty." The stranger sighed, then reached up and ran one elegantly tapered hand through his hair in what Adam guessed was a habitual fashion. "After Duncan's somewhat anti-social greeting, I feared I might be somehow to blame."

Adam flushed hotly. "Ummm, no, of course not. I think Man-At-Arms was just needed here or something…" He trailed off uncomfortably. Since he'd taken up the sword of He-Man, the prince found it increasing difficult to lie. The falsehoods he told in order to protect his secret had made his life almost unbearably unpleasant in recent weeks. As a result, lies of any kind had become increasing abhorrent to the young man. Weaving fabrications under Jared's gentle scrutiny was all but impossible.

"I quite understand," the older man said kindly. "You need not explain further."

_Well that's good, _Adam reflected. _Somehow, I don't think that, "My Father thinks you're an evil maniac," would go over well. _Jared turned back to Clomper and resumed scratching the horse's head, muzzle and neck, all the while murmuring affectionate reassurances to that animal just under his breath. Adam watched him intently, baffled by the incongruities between the man standing before him, and the man that his Father and his mentor reviled as a villain.

_But this guy doesn't seem like much of a threat to me. More like a mild annoyance… with an ego the size of Snake Mountain. Still, Father thinks he's dangerous. Man-At-Arms thinks he's dangerous. I should keep my guard up. _Adam clenched his fists at his sides. _But if he's so very dangerous then why is Father lying to me? Why doesn't he just tell me what Jared did that was so horrible, and why does Mother defend him? I've never known her to be wrong about anything – what did she mean that Jared was never given a chance? A chance at what? For what?_

"So," the prince said slowly, "why are you here, sir? And what is your name?"

The stranger spun in place, giving Adam a wide and self-deprecating smile. "How unforgivably rude of me. I do apologize, my dear boy. I should have introduced myself at once. My name is Jared. I have a rather convoluted title of sorts, but I have not used it in many long years. You may call me Jared, or, if using my given name makes you uncomfortable, you may simply call me Craftsman Jared."

"Are you a craftsman?" Adam asked before he could stop himself. Jared didn't look like the type who worked with his hands.

"Of an unusual kind, but a craftsman nevertheless. As for my presence here in the capital of Eternia – " The stranger reached into his long, full surcoat and withdrew a paper-wrapped bundle. "You left this behind in Orsinol. Duke Bahngir is an acquaintance of mine, and he asked me to see that this was returned to you since I was going to be passing this way."

The prince's jaw dropped open. _My book! He's here because he's returning my book. But that's so ordinary…_ Jared held out the package, and Adam took it abashedly. "Thanks. Sorry about all that fuss yesterday."

"Don't give it another thought, your highness."

"Look," the prince said, rubbing the back of his head in acute embarrassment. "If I'm going to call you Jared, maybe you should just call me Adam. Okay?"

"I would be delighted to call you Adam," Jared said, favoring the prince with an infectious smile and a small bow. As he rose from the bow, he threw his head back in a hearty and extremely loud laugh. "The truth is, Adam, that I feel as if I know you already. As such, all this formality begins to rankle."

Alarm bells went off in Adam's mind. _He knows me? What was it he said yesterday? You'll be in my thoughts? Ugg. This is too creepy for court. Maybe Father is right… _Smiling half-heartedly, Adam tried to surreptitiously increase the distance between them. His eyes darted briefly toward the nearest exit from the stables, calculating the odds. _Please tell me I haven't just been spilling my guts to a psychopath, _Adam pleaded with whoever might be listening to his silent prayers. _Please tell me I've just got the wrong idea here. _He backed steadily away, the stranger pacing him step for step.

Adam jerked as he backed into a stall door. He immediately tried to side-step to the right and discovered that he'd managed to corner himself between a stall and a feed bin. He could retreat no further, and Jared came to a stop directly before him.

"You're anxious," the older man said, his brow creasing. "Why are you suddenly afraid of me, Adam? What have they told you?" His eyes narrowed as he raised a hand toward the prince's face. "What lies has Randor told you about me?"

Adam gulped and flinched away from the hand that hovered beside his cheek. The stranger instantly dropped his hand and took a small step back, but he still had the prince effectively pinned down. The horses, perhaps sensing the sudden tension in the air, began to whinny and stomp about in their stalls. The one nearest Adam snorted and reared within the confines of his box. When the stallion began to paw at the door, Adam instinctively reached over to quiet the animal before it could hurt itself.

"Shhh. You're okay, Shadow." Adam soothed the horse, softly stroking its muzzle. Jared watched solemnly – and relatively non-threateningly – as Adam quickly fed the horse the last of his Cringer treats. He did not shift at all, however, and the prince's sense of entrapment grew.

_The only way past him is through him, and I think he's a wizard… I am in serious trouble here! _Adam inhaled – a slow, deep breath – and forced a tremulous smile. _The nearest door is fifteen meters away._ "Look, Jared, I really have to be getting back to – "

The stranger backed a further two steps away; it was just far enough for Adam to slide past him. Cautiously, half expecting attack at any moment, the prince squeezed through the narrow space. Once he was no longer boxed in, he immediately began to relax. Jared seemed a lot less imposing when he wasn't looming over him. Letting out a small, hopefully unnoticed sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and started backing away as nonchalantly as possible. _Thirteen meters…_

Jared did not move, but he watched the boy with tormented eyes. "Adam, please, I don't want you to be afraid of me. I have no desire to harm you in any way."

The prince smiled and nodded. "Sure, I know," he said wryly, still backing away. _Eleven meters and counting… _Adam swallowed nervously. "You just want to be friends or something."

"I do want to be your friend, my boy." He spread his hands beseechingly. "If only you will give me a chance – "

The prince tuned Jared's disturbing monologue out as he continued to back toward the exit. He desperately wanted to glance back over his shoulder, to see the door that was his goal, but he was reluctant to take his eyes off the stranger. Afraid of what Jared might do. _Seven meters… _Of course, Jared still had not moved from his position near Clomper's stall. _Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe he's just an overzealous courtier that got on Father's nerves a while back. _The prince shook his head. No, there had to be more to it than that._ Five meters…_

"Please wait!" Jared implored. He thrust one hand into the air before him, and green fire seemed to dance about his fingers. Still a good four meters from the nearest door, Adam came to an abrupt halt. His feet simply refused to move.

Adam yanked on his legs, but it was as if his feet had taken root. Glancing up, he saw Jared watching him with an intent, almost anxious expression. The prince swallowed and forced himself to breath slowly and evenly, fighting down panic. _Elders, I am in serious trouble here. Where is Teela when I need – _Adam blinked, the blood pounding in his ears. _Teela! She should have been waiting here for me! So where is she? Could Jared have done something to her? No, oh please, no!_

"Adam, I – " Jared began, but the prince gave him no opportunity to finish his utterance.

"Where's Teela?" Adam demanded heatedly, forgetting, for a moment, his own peril. "What have you done with her?"

Jared gazed at him quizzically. "Who?" he asked.

"Teela! She was meeting me here!" Adam exclaimed, glowering at the stranger. "Why isn't she here? What have you done with her?"

The older man's brows knit and he looked baffled for a moment. Then, eyes narrowing, his shook his head firmly. "I have not seen her. But even if I had, this does not concern your friend… only us." Jared spread his glowing fingers wide, sending the green, fiery tendrils dancing across his palm, then closed his hand into a fist and drew it toward his chest. As he did so, Adam's feet left the ground and he floated rapidly toward the stranger.

_Help! By the Grace of Eternia! _Adam squeezed his eyes tightly shut, cursing himself internally. _Out loud, you idiot! Out – _"Help!" The word emerged as barely more than a squeak as Adam's eyes snapped open again and Jared's eyes caught and held his. For an instant, the prince felt a wave of dizziness washing over and through him. The world swayed, and he had no breath left for screaming.

Then, ever so quietly, he heard a voice whispering in his ear. "Stop fighting me, child. I am not your enemy. I was never _your _enemy. Give me a chance. Give us a chance… "


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Adam!" Something gripped his shoulder, and the prince felt himself shaken. "Come on, Adam, wake up! What's wrong with you?" He was shaken again, more roughly this time, and for a moment he was overcome by panic. _Help! I need help! _He flailed his arms, struggling with his attacker, certain that he was in very real danger. One of his hands connected with flesh, and his assailant yelped. "Hey! What's the idea?" demanded an outraged voice.

Heart pounding, Adam opened his eyes wearily and stared up into an all too familiar face. _Teela? What in Eternia? _The captain of the guard was kneeling beside him, an unbelievably startled look on her face as he she cupped a hand to her jaw."Uh… What happened? Not to be cliché or anything, but, where am I?" He glanced around bleary-eyed. To his surprise, he found that he was in the royal stables, sitting in a stall with his back up against the wall and a horse blanket lying across him. His vest and harness hung from a nearby hook, but he was otherwise still clothed. "Weird."

"You hit me," Teela murmured. "Why'd you hit me?"

"I what?" Adam exclaimed, suddenly wide awake and horrified. "Oh my gosh! Teela, I'm so sorry! I didn't know – I must have still been asleep!"

Hand still pressed to her jaw, she nodded. "You must have been having some nightmare, too. The instant I touched you, you stated thrashing around and hollering."

"I did? What did I say?"

His friend shrugged and regarded him nervously. "You just kept asking for help, yelling something about fire and flapping your arms around. That's how you socked me on the jaw. Maybe you dreamed about being in a fire or something," she finished, sounding not unsympathetic.

Sitting up rapidly, the prince reached forward and pulled her hand away so he could see her face clearly. There was small red spot on her fair skin, and Adam had a hideous suspicion that there would soon be a bruise as well. "Teela, I am so sorry!" He realized that he was still holding her hand, and he raised it to his lips, then pressed his forehead to her knuckles in abject repentance. "Go ahead, pummel me. Man-At-Arms is going to kill me anyway."

"Oh, for – " With a disgusted snort, Teela snatched her hand away, put all her weight against his shoulder and shoved. The prince tumbled over onto his side with a small grunt. While he was still laughing and apologizing at the same time, she grabbed up the horse blanket, shook it out, folded it and returned it to the bin just outside the stall. "Quit fussing, Adam. It's not like you did it on purpose."

"Okay, just make sure that you let Man-At-Arms know that," he agreed. "I'm too young to die."

"This is true," she said, turning back to him with a grin as he got his feet back under him and stood up. "I know I'm really late, but what were you doing sleeping in here? Still hiding from the king?"  
Adam opened his mouth to respond and discovered, to his dismay, that he didn't know the answer to the question. "I was waiting for you, visiting with Clomper, and… I guess I must have gotten tired," he theorized, wearily rubbing the back of his head. "I don't really remember." _There was something else… I could have sworn I talked to someone. But who was it? _"I'm sorry about hitting you," he added, remembering his mother's admonition that a boy could never apologize too often when he'd done something to upset a girl.

"It's fine! Boy, you get odder every day," Teela said, shaking her head and grimacing at him. "Well, we might as well head for my room again. The king and queen are closeted with the Master's Council, so you don't have to worry about being yelled at. At least, not until the meeting is over."

Shrugging back into his vest and harness, Adam fell in beside her. "Well, that's good. I take it you didn't find anything out from Man-At-Arms?"

Teela sighed, rubbing her jaw absently. Adam tried not to feel guilty, but it wasn't easy. "Not a thing. And we didn't catch that doomseeker either. That's why I'm late. I got sent on the hunt too. Good job spotting that, by the way."

Adam straightened his spine, pleased with the praise. "It's a shame it escaped, but how did it happen?" the prince asked, perplexed. "With Stratos after it, I wouldn't have thought it could get away."

"Me either, but it completely vanished. One minute it was right there in front of us, and the next second it was just gone." Adam blinked tiredly and shaded his eyes from the sun as they exited the stable. Teela, who never even seemed to notice if the sun was in her eyes, just kept talking. "Father thinks it may have been equipped with some sort of superior self-destruct mechanism that left no remains to examine."

Adam smiled wryly at her. "Yeah, that sounds like Man-At-Arms." He yawned, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Hey! Give me a break. I didn't get much sleep last night. Besides," he said, grinning broadly, "unlike you, I have acquired new intelligence on our mysterious stranger."

"You did?" she said, stopping abruptly in the middle of the path.

Adam shushed her and waved cordially at a couple of courtiers who were watching them with evident interest from across the lawn. "I'll explain when we get back to your room," he said quietly. "Let's just say that I _accidentally _overheard my parents and your father talking, so I have lots of new information to share."

Teela's eyes widened enormously as she started moving again. "Wow. All three of them. I wonder what's behind it all?"

"So do I," said the prince. "I just wish I could see Jared again and ask him for his side of the story."

"Who's Jared?"

"The guy, Teela. You know, the stranger," Adam said, drawing the words out very slowly, as if he were speaking to a particularly dense courtier.

Teela glared and slapped at him half-heartedly. "I guess you did find out a lot," she conceded, reaching out a flicking him playfully on the side of the head when he came back within range. "But what are the odds that he'll ever come here?"

"No clue," Adam said, sighing. "But it seems unlikely that he'll just pop in to say hi, doesn't it?"

"Well, it sounds like asking Queen Marlena to give us the dirt on Jared is out. So what now, oh fearless leader?" Teela asked as they crossed the palace's main courtyard on their way to her quarters.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that," he groused. "It makes me sound like my father… or He-Man."

His friend chuckled and smirked at him from the corners of her eyes. "As if you were anything like He-Man," she drawled. "Although," she said, putting a hand to her chin in a manner strikingly reminiscent of Man-At-Arms, "you do have the same haircut."

Her gaze was piercing, as if she could see right through his skin to the secret hidden in his heart. Adam' breathing became shallow as patently fake laugh slipped through his lips. "Very funny," he squeaked. "Truly. I just love being compared to _Muscles_. He's so big and – "

"Don't insult him!" Teela snapped, coming to a sudden halt in the middle of the walkway, fists balled up at her sides. "He's done more for this country than you ever have!" She reached out and poked the prince's shoulder, pushing him slightly off balance. "More importantly, _He-Man's _no coward!"

Adam stared at her for a moment, startled by the vehemence of her reaction. He felt her loathing wash over him in one endless wave, strong and bottomless as the sea itself. _You think I don't know that? _he wondered. _You think I don't know what people call _me _when I'm not there to hear it? _Without a word, Adam turned and continued walking, but no longer in the direction of Teela's rooms.

She called after him, "Where are you going?" The prince broke into a run and dashed out of sight, in no mood to continue their confrontation. When no sound of pursuit reached his ears, he dropped back into a walk and made for his own rooms. Cringer joined him as he reached the entrance to the donjon, and Adam slowed to give his friend the attention he craved, scratching the back of the tiger's neck as they walked along.

Several servants paused in their labors to smile at the prince as he passed, and Adam smiled back at them, acknowledging each by name, and devoutly hoping that his inner feelings were not outwardly apparent. One of the maids had just become a grandmother, and she had quite a lot to tell him about her new twin granddaughters. He listened and laughed in all the right places, wishing he were as cheerful as he was pretending to be. A number of courtiers also stopped to greet the prince, and Adam treated them with the courtesy that the king and queen of Eternia expected from the crown prince. _I'd rather talk to the servants. At least they don't _want _anything from me except respect and kindness._

When he finally managed to pry himself loose from one of the most blatant matchmaking mamas at court, he practically raced the rest of the way to his suite. Cringer arrived first, and reached up to paw the latch as he always did. Landing lightly, he shouldered the door open the rest of the way and padded inside. Adam, eyes downcast, followed after him, shoving the door closed with his foot.

"Well young man – " the prince's head snapped up, and he saw his father standing beside the window – "what do you have to say for yourself?" The king's face was stony, his lips set in a grim line. Cringer walked over to the bed, jumped up on it, circled three times, then settled in the exact center of the mattress, without a care in the world.

Adam froze, unable even to blink for several seconds. _Great. I forgot. I am in big trouble. _Dropping his gaze back to the floor, he said nothing. He swung a booted foot back and forth, rubbing at a scuff mark on the floor with his toes.

"Well?" Randor demanded. "Explain yourself."

Adam sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Explain what?"

"Don't play games with me, young man!" the king said, somehow managing to shout without changing his volume in the slightest. Looking up through his lashes, Adam saw that his father had taken a few steps toward him, silent as only an aged soldier can be. Randor's hands were clasped behind his back, his stance formal and reserved… a look that Adam has always thought of as playing king. _And he's doing it to me._

Returning his gaze to the floor, the prince shrugged. "I don't know what you mean… sir." _Impossible to call him Father when he's acting my overlord instead of my Dad, but sire would be as good as admitting that he's my king only. I miss Dad. _Adam chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment, suppressing the bellows and cries that clamored to escape him. _I want my Dad back, even if it's just for one day…_

Strong fingers grasped his chin, and the prince was forced to look up. The king's eyes were a scant few centimeters from his own, though considerably higher above the ground. "I want an answer, young man. You were eavesdropping on us, and I want to know why?"

Adam blinked. _Time to confess, _he thought tiredly. _So much for eluding capture. _He swallowed, then said, "I have a name you know." Randor jerked back as if struck, and the prince watched the shock and disbelief play across his father's face. _Why shouldn't he be surprised? I didn't know I was going to say that either._

"What did you say?" The king whispered, his words as chill as his expression. His shoulders shook with the force if his emotion, and his hands had clenched into fists at his sides. "What did you _say_?"

Adam's heart pounded in his chest, thumping wildly against his ribs. _Oh well. If I'm going to get blown to bits, I might as well go out with a bang. _"You keep calling me 'young man,' but I have a name. You should know it, after all, you gave it to me. Would it kill you to use it?"

He knew instantly that he'd gone too far. A muscle in the king's jaw began to throb, pulsing visibly. Randor's eyes twitched, narrowing down to small slits. "Actually," he grated, smooth as ground glass, "your mother named you. I had nothing to do with it."

For a moment, Adam couldn't comprehend what his father was saying. Then – "Oh," he said, trying to hide his flinch. "Figures." He returned his gaze to his feet. _Even back then, you were already shuffling me off onto other people. That's just great. _

"Now, if you're quite done trying to change the subject, I wish to know why the Crown Prince of Eternia was skulking about the royal bedchamber like an assassin. Explain yourself this instant!"

Adam had a hard time getting his mouth to work. It had gone as dry as the Sands of Fire in the space of an instant. The tension in the room was palpable, and he found himself wondering how Cringer could possibly sleep through a scene like this. "I wanted to talk to Mother," he murmured softly.

"What? Speak up, boy."

The prince's head whipped up and he glared at the king, wishing he'd just punish him and leave already. Wishing he'd just tell the truth about Jared. Wishing he'd just disown his cowardly son and – get – it – over – with! _I hate He-Man. I hate him! But not as much as I hate – _The prince swallowed hard. "I said," he yelled, suddenly unable to contain his fury, "that I wanted to talk to Mother! I am _allowed _to talk to her, right? I mean, she hasn't disowned me or anything!"

Randor snorted disbelievingly. "Which is, naturally, why you failed to announce your presence and left via the balcony." Adam shrugged again, and the king grabbed his chin firmly between his fingers. "What did you hear?" he demanded, his eyes boring into his son's. "What did you hear while you were eavesdropping on us?"

_Us… I used to be part of 'us.' _The prince started to reply, but when he tried to move his jaw, the fingers holding his chin became bruisingly painful. He cried out, and Randor dropped his hand as if it had been scalded. He stumbled backwards, his father doing the same. The king stared at his hand as if it were some foreign object, randomly attached to his body just that morning. "Adam, I – "

"Go away!" Adam shrieked, shoving past his shocked father and darting for the bathing chamber door. "Just leave me _alone_!" The prince slammed and bolted the door behind him, then slid down it to sit in a heap on the floor with his back against it. _It's what you always do anyway, right Father? You've got more time for the head gardener than you do for me. _A few minutes later, there was a light knock on the door, but Adam ignored it, merely pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin upon them. _Leave me be. Go away._

"Adam?" Randor called, just loud enough for his voice to carry through the door. "Adam, let me in. Please. Son, I'm sorry I hurt you."

_Yeah. Sure you are. You're always sorry for everything you do, but somehow I'm always the one who's not good enough._

"Son, please, I am more sorry than you can imagine." To the prince's ears, the king's voice sounded startling calm for someone who was racked by regret. "Adam?"

The prince said nothing, did not even move, and a few minutes later he heard the distinct sound of his bed chamber's outer door opening and then closing again. _Good riddance, _he thought as he buried his tear-stained face in his knees.

Adam must have fallen asleep on the floor, because when he emerged from the bathing chamber, the sun was sinking beyond the horizon, sending wan light through his open window. Cringer was no longer on the bed, but the prince found his companion curled up next to his empty food bowl. _Must be almost dinner time. _He knelt down beside the sleeping tiger and began to scratch the cat's ears, head and neck. Cringer purred in his sleep and rolled over to provide his master with easier access to his chin and the under-side of his neck. A deep resonant purr began somewhere in the vicinity of the tiger's throat, and its rhythmic rumble soothed away some of Adam's tension.

A short while later, there was a rap on the door, and the prince called out for the knocker to enter. Looking up at the sound of the hinges, he saw one of the maids, Lisbet, carrying in a fully laden dinner tray. "Good evening, Prince Adam."

Adam returned the greeting with a nod, and, eyes wide, gestured for her to deposit the tray on a table near the window. "It's roast chicken with fennel sauce tonight, your highness. It's very good," she said, smiling at him.

"I'm sure it is," the prince agreed, wondering why a tray had been sent to his rooms when he always took dinner with the court or the Masters. He watched in silence as Lisbet shifted the contents of the tray to the table. As she lifted the last bowl from the tray and emptied it into Cringer's dish, the tiger stirred, his whiskers twitching. She lingered long enough to pat him on the head, then carried the water bowl into the bathing chamber where, presumably, she cleaned and refilled it. Cringer dug into his meal without further pause. Finished with her tasks, Lisbet turned back to the prince.

"Will you be needing anything else, your highness?" she asked pleasantly.

Adam shook his head and Lisbet curtsied and took her leave of him. The prince hurried over and held the door for her as she left. The moment she was gone, he walked over to the table and found, as expected, a note waiting for him. It was written on a fine, heavy stationary and it had a crown embossed wax seal holding it closed. _Crud. I'm grounded. I just know it. _Reluctantly breaking the seal, Adam opened the note and rapidly scanned its text. There wasn't much to read.

_My dear son,_

_I am more sorry than I can say for hurting you earlier. I fear that I let my wholly justified anger get the better of me. But warranted or no, I should never have harmed you in that way. That was neither a kingly nor a fatherly thing to do, and I offer you my most heartfelt apologies._

_However, no matter how inappropriate my own actions were, your improper behavior and disrespectful manner can not be ignored. You are hereby confined to your rooms until further notice. You will take your meals in your suite and you need not present yourself for rollcall in the morning._

_If court business permits, I will be by to see you later this evening. There is much we need to discuss._

_All my love,_

_Your Father_

Adam read the note through twice, his vision blurring alarmingly. Then he dropped it to his side, and stared out the window for several long minutes. When he was once more in control of his emotions, the prince read the note a third time, going slowly, trying to see the hidden meaning behind each word and phrase. As soon as he was finished, he balled the note up, stomped across the room, entered the bathing chamber, and tossed the offending parchment down the privy.

That done, Adam returned to his waiting meal. Dinner was nice enough, though he hardly tasted it. When he couldn't force another bite past the lump in his throat, he broke his chicken up into small, boneless pieces and fed it to Cringer. _At least your appetite is okay, _the prince thought as his companion devoured the fowl, several small potatoes and a squash pudding. Much of the pudding wound up on the tiger's muzzle, and Adam laughed softly as the feline extended his tongue to great lengths in an attempt to lick off every speck of squash.

By the time they were both finished with their meal, the sun was long gone from the sky, and only the wan light of the moons illuminated the room. Adam considered turning on the lights, but chose to climb into bed instead. Cringer crawled up after him, and they cuddled together on the quilt, the prince's head pillowed on the tiger's stomach. The beating of Cringer's heart was amazingly relaxing, and he turned his face into his pet's fur. _At least you love me. No matter what else I lose, no matter who turns on me, I always have you, Cringer._

He must have fallen asleep again, for it seemed only a few short minutes later that there was, once again, a knocking at the door, but the twin moons were high in the evening sky. Rolling wearily out of bed, careful not to disturb the still drowsing feline, Adam shuffled over to the door and opened it. He expected to find his father waiting for him on the other side of the aperture, but the king was not there. Eyes narrowed, he blinked blearily up at Mekanek. "May I come in?" the Master asked when the prince made no move to invite him in.

Coming back to his senses, Adam nodded and stepped hurriedly out of the way. "Sorry," he slurred. "I'm having a hard time – " he yawned " – waking up."

"S'ok," Mekanek said, grinning. He walked over and gestured at the bed. "Mind if I sit down?" Adam shook his head, and the Master plopped down onto the side of the bed, within reach of the sleeping tiger. "I really just came by to check on Cringer and to let you know what Borlian said. I meant to talk to you at dinner, but you weren't there."

_Borlian, the animal healer,_ Adam thought excitedly, _the expert on Eternian tigers. _Pulling up a low-backed chair from the nearby reading group, Adam sat down and did his best to look attentive. He was distracted, however, by the sudden realization that the dinner dishes were gone. Normally, he woke whenever someone entered his room, and it was disturbing to think that a servant had removed the remains of his meal without being noticed. _I must have been sleeping really heavily. That's the third time today. Why – _

"Hey kid, anybody home?"

Adam's gaze snapped back into focus as Mekanek, leaning forward, frenetically waved a hand in front of his face. "Uh, sorry," Adam grumbled, blinking in an effort to maintain focus.

"You okay, kid?" the Master asked, tilting his head on its long neck. "You look kind of muzzy."

The prince rubbed his face vigorously for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I'm fine, Mek. I'm just real sleepy for some reason. But, why did you come to talk to me about Borlian? Surely… you didn't take Cringer to see him, did you?"

"Sure did," the Master said, grinning broadly. "I knew you'd feel better if one of us took him, so I begged off duties for the day and flew him down myself."

A matching smile spread across the prince's face. _Mek's always doing stuff like that. He is the absolute best. _"Thanks, Mek. That means a lot to me. Really."

"No problem," the Master replied, resuming his petting of the somnolent cat.

"What did Borlian say about Cringer?" To Adam' dismay, his voice squeaked slightly on his pet's name, revealing an anxiety he'd tried to hide even from himself. At ten years of age, Cringer wasn't precisely old for an Eternian tiger, but he wasn't precisely young either. _What would I do, if I lost him? I just couldn't – _

"Clean bill of health," Mekanek said, cutting into his thoughts once more. "In fact, Borlian asked if we'd been feeding him differently or something. He said Cringer is healthier now than he was a year ago. Have you been doing something different, Adam?"  
The prince's eyes widened, his gaze shifting to his companion, his pet… his new mount. _Battlecat? Could it be? _Adam's thoughts whirled as he shook his head. "No, nothing."

"Well, either way, Borlian says that Cringer is so healthy he could easily live another ten years or more. So, it's all good news." The tiger, as if sensing that he was the focus of their conversation, stretched in his sleep, his great paws reaching from one end of the bed to the other. When he was finished, he rolled over, turning his back on them and began to twitch lightly. "Chasing butterflies again," Mekanek noted wryly.

Adam laughed. "Yeah, probably." Getting up, he joined the Master and the tiger on the bed, sitting cross-legged against the headboard. "Ten years… " he repeated, gazing down at his pet. "That doesn't seem so long. I wish he'd live forever."

"Well, maybe not _forever_," his friend drawled. "Think how fat he'd get on all that fish."  
The prince laughed. "He'd be as big as Grayskull."

* * *

The next morning, Adam awoke feeling well rested and energetic, which made confinement to his quarters all but unbearable. By the time his morning meal arrived – this time without a note – he'd already rearranged his bookcase, straightened his wardrobe, refolded the contents of his dresser, written letters to two friends and spent a lazy half-hour playing with Cringer and a frazzled piece of string.

_How long is this confinement going to last? _he wondered as he picked at his omelet. _Even criminals get exercise periods. _Scowling, he polished off every drop of food on his plates, then gathered the dishes and sat them in a neat pile on the edge of his table so they'd be easy for the servants to retrieve. That done, he adjourned to the bathing chamber for a quick wash. Twenty minutes later, wearing a towel slung low around his hips, another towel wound around his hair and very little else, the prince of Eternia walked back into his bedchamber and promptly had a gibbering fit.

"TEELA!" he shrieked, his voice reaching octaves that would have astonished his music instructor. "What are you DOING here?"

The captain, catching one horrendous glimpse of her nearly naked friend, spun around and faced the door. "Shush!" she yelled. "Someone will hear you!"

Flushing scarlet, Adam dashed back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. There followed a flurry of activity as he briskly dried himself off, combed his still sopping hair and worked a good deal of invective out of his system. When he emerged a few minutes later, now clad in an all encompassing robe, Teela was still in his room, sitting on the floor and scratching Cringer.

"Uh, hi," he muttered, finding it difficult to look her in the face.

"Hi," she grumbled back. "Are you decent?"

"I'm _wearing_ a _robe, _Teela," he groused, as he walked over to the dresser and pulled out a clean shirt. It was slightly wrinkled from folding, but that would fall out once he had it on. "I think that qualifies as decent."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" she complained. "I wasn't going to look until I _knew _you were covered up. Why are running around in a towel anyway? What if a servant had walked in?" Teela glared at him, one eyebrow raised in a superior manner. Sensing, and not liking, the tension in the air, Cringer began to rub her arm, demanding that she focus her attention on him. The captain willingly complied, and the tiger half-climbed onto her lap, overflowing from both ends.

"The servants knock, Teela, unlike some people I could name."

"Well, if I'd knocked, I wouldn't be here, now would I?" Teela said, sounding as if she were explaining herself to a potted plant.

"What are you talking about?" Adam asked, baffled.  
"The guards…" she drawled.

"What guards?" A horrible premonition was growing in the prince's mind. _Surely Father doesn't mistrust me that greatly. Surely he wouldn't assign guards to keep me in my rooms. Surely he – _

"The ones on your door," Teela said, beginning to look as baffled as he felt. "You did know they were there, didn't you?" When the prince shook his head, the captain shrugged and returned to her feline ministrations.

Once Adam had finished gathering his clothing, he retreated yet again to the bathing chamber, where he skinned into his garb at lightning speed. _Knowing her, she might open this door just to prove she isn't embarrassed. That would be soooo Teela. Darn her. Why is she here? _The prince sat down the edge of the tub and pulled on boots. _What does she want to yell at me about now? And why are there guards on my door? Why can't Father just trust me!_

"All right?" he asked as he stomped back into his bedroom. "What do you want? What did I do to tick you off now?" Adam crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at her in a good approximation of his father while he waited for an answer. _I am so not in the mood for this._

Shoving Cringer off her lap, Teela stood up, brushing the fur off her uniform as she got her feet under her once more. She did not meet his eyes. When she'd removed every last bit of fur, a painstaking process that took a ridiculous amount of time to complete, Teela finally looked up and met his gaze.

"I'm sorry." Adam blinked. It was nearly the last thing he'd expected to hear from her that morning. But wonder of wonders, she wasn't even finished. "I overreacted, and I'm really sorry." Teela stuck out her hand, as if waiting for it to be shaken, and said, "So, am I forgiven?"

"You're kidding," the prince said, his disbelief echoing from the walls.

The captain snatched her hand back. "No, I'm not. I shouldn't have yelled at you that way, and I _am_ sorry." When Adam simply stared at her, she marched across the room to the table where he'd eaten breakfast. "I can prove it," she grumbled. She snatched up a datapad, one that hadn't been there when Adam had gone to take his bath, and tapped a code into it as she walked back over to him. She thrust the device into his hand, and he looked at it curiously.

"What's this for?"

"It's a datapad," Teela rejoined. "It's used to store information and – "

"I know that!" Adam barked, glaring at her in exasperation. "I mean, what is it for? Why are you giving it to me?"

The captain smirked. Crossing her arms over her torso, she regarded him with a look of smugness that only an adolescent girl can master. "Because," she explained, "it has the information you've been looking for on our mysterious stranger. You do want to know more about Jared, don't you?"

Adam gaped at her, finding it difficult to believe his own ears. _Jared… How? Why? How? _He stared blindly down at the datapad, not really seeing anything it said.

"Well?" Teela asked. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"How'd you get this?" he asked,

Grinning, clearly pleased with herself and eager to share her news, Teela explained. "I accessed the palace's main database, and I did a search for information on a man named Jared. Then I downloaded what I found into this datapad."

The prince blinked at her. _That simple. It was that simple. _Rubbing his eyes, he walked over to sit on his bed, legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed, his back against the headrest. "That's great, Teela," he said numbly. "Really."

"But…" she said, coming to sit cross-legged on the end of the bed. "I can hear a 'but' coming."

"I'm just surprised," Adam admitted. "I expected it to be harder. That's all."

The captain nodded. She pulled her long ponytail over her shoulder and proceeded to untangle the end, giving the roan locks far more attention than was merited by their condition. The prince sat up. The prince sat forward, eyeing her suspiciously. "Teela?"

"Yes?" she replied without looking up.

"Teela, how hard was it to find the information on Jared?"

She shrugged, still focused on her hair, but Adam noticed that an enormous grin kept flashing across her lips and disappearing. Adam got up on his knees and scuttled toward her. Then he leaned in, peering at her lowered face like a demented Kulatock on hands and knees. "Was it just in the unrestricted database? I mean, was the stuff on Jared where just anyone could find it?"

"Well…" she demurred.

"Teela!" Adam cried. "Was it in the public database or not?"

"No, it wasn't," the captain admitted, looking up. "It was in the classified military database, locked under the clearance codes of King Randor, Queen Marlena and Man-At-Arms. The only higher clearance is Level 12 where only the king himself can access the file."

She bounced slightly where she sat, and Adam knew she was waiting for him to request further details of her adventure. _Show off, _he thought, though with no real malice. "All right, bratling, I'll bite," he sighed. "How did you manage to get into a Level 11 classified file without getting the code from either of our parents?"  
Leaning towards him, eyes twinkling merrily, Teela blurted out, "I told Roboto that we were running on check on the security of the high level classified files, and that I need him to see if he could break into the system. He did!"

Adam jerked backwards, so shocked that for a moment he lost his balance and teetered on the edge of the bed. Teela grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him back onto the mattress where he landed on his haunches with a teeth jarring thud. "But," he sputtered, "but that's a – " his mind shied away from the word crime – "a really serious offense!"

"I know," she said, nodding.

"You could be suspended or even lose your rank, and – "

"I _know, _Adam! You don't have to remind me," she growled. "Do you honestly think I didn't know what I was doing?"

The prince's head spun crazily. _Teela broke the rules! Teela? That's just – _"Bizarre!"

The captain laughed. "Well, I knew how much it meant to you to figure out what was going on. And our parents_ are_ acting odd. This really _was_ in the best interests of palace security."

"You're crazy," Adam stated matter-of-factly, immensely impressed despite his shock. "Completely crazy."

"Thanks," Teela said, grinning. "Now do you believe I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday?"

Adam nodded dumbly, as Cringer jumped up on the bed and stretched out beside him. _She sure knows how to apologize._

"Yeah, so, lets find out what it says." Teela took the datapad from him and began scrolling through the contents.

"Haven't you seen it already?" Adam asked, puzzled.

The captain shook her head. "No. I thought it was only fair to wait until you could look too. Besides," Teela grinned wryly, "I didn't want to risk sticking around the security control room and getting caught."  
"That makes sense," the prince said, leaning close and peering at the information Teela's nimble fingers revealed.

* * *

The first file that Teela called up was clearly from the military personnel records. It was the standard biographical information that was kept on every member of the armed forces, including family and educational background, starting rank and current status. It was this last piece of information that jumped out at the prince right off. Jared's status was listed as…

"Missing in Action?" Adam asked disbelievingly. "But, if he's one of our missing soldiers, then why did Man-At-Arms act like he was a criminal when we saw him in Orsinol? And why does my father… _the king_… think he's dangerous?"

"I don't know," Teela whispered back, sounding equally baffled. "It doesn't make any sense at all. And look at this." She pointed at a spot on the upper left side of the datapad. "According to this, Jared is from the Agrian Plains, South District. Isn't that where your family's farm is located?" she asked looking up at him with her brows knit. "It's been so long since we were there that I don't remember which district – "

"North," Adam interjected. "But we were on the southern edge of North District, so he might have lived near my great-grandfather's holding."

"Hmmm," Teela sang out, and the prince knew that she found the connection as strange as he did. Moran, Adam's great-grandfather, had been a farmer all his life, like his ancestors before him. He'd had five children, two daughters and three sons. Unfortunately, all but Miro and his sister Lissa had been struck down by a magically created plague, the same plague that also killed Moran's wife, Adam's great-grandmother, Sarlissa.

Lissa was the oldest of the five children, and she moved away when Miro was just a stripling. Her descendants still lived, for the most part, in Agrian Valley. Except for his parents, they were the only kin Adam had.

Miro, the prince's grandfather, had grown up in Twisted Oak Hall, the family holding in Agrian Valley, before running away to become a soldier… much against his father's wishes. Still, Moran had been proud of Miro's skills and the speed with which he'd gone on to become Captain Miro, leader of the armies of the Council of Elders. Later, when Miro's wife succumbed to a respiratory illness, the grieving captain had decided that an army camp was no place to raise a motherless boy. He'd shipped his infant son home to be raised by Moran on the family farm where he himself had grown up. As a result, Randor has spent his formative years being raised by his grandfather at Twisted Oak Hall, with a good deal of help from his Aunt Lissa and her brood. Then, when he was old enough to follow in his father's footsteps, he did. Like Miro, Randor could not see himself spending the rest of his life as a farmer.

And now, Prince Adam of Eternia had no choice. Unlike Miro and Randor, Adam's destiny had been decided for him on the day that the Council of Elders made Randor king of Eternia. And there were times, all too frequent, when the young prince thought life as a farmer sounded quite appealing. He remembered his childhood visits to Agrian Valley and Twisted Oak Hall with great fondness. He would have liked to grow up there, surrounded by dozens of cousins, tottering along after his great-grandfather.

Moran had been dead for many years now, but he'd lived long enough to see his grandson become king and to witness the birth of his great-grandson, Prince Adam of Eternia. Adam remembered him as stooped old man with liver-spotted skin who would sneak him sweets when his mother wasn't looking. _I miss him still, _Adam though with a sudden wave of home-sickness for the valley. _I miss the farm and Great-Aunt Lissa and my cousin, Luci. I miss that life, and I've never really even lived it. _The prince rubbed his eyes wearily. _What possible connection could Jared have with them? It has to be a coincidence. Doesn't it?_

Teela, unaware of her friend's sudden bout of introspection, had gone on reading. She was on the second page of the file, clearly having assumed that his lack of complaint meant it was okay to chance the page. Adam opened his mouth, on the verge of asking her to go back to the first page, when a shrill siren split the air.

Teela's head jerked up, her eyes wide. "What the!"

Before Adam could answer, Cringer came awake with a snarling hiss, his fur poofed out all over his body and standing on end. He dove off the bed, seemed to recall just in time that he no longer fit beneath it, and sprinted across the room to slide beneath Adam's desk where he huddled, mewling piteously. Adam and Teela jumped off the bed at the same moment. He started for the door, and realized abruptly that he had no idea where the siren was coming from. Turning back toward Teela, he saw that she had her comlink out. As he watched, she hastily tapped the off code, and stuck it back on her belt.

"The Royal Archives!" she said in a strangled voice. "Someone set off an alarm in the Royal Archives!" She looked absolutely stricken. If her meddling had weakened the security system somehow…

Adam yanked his door open and dashed right past the startled guards who were standing on either side of it. He'd completely forgotten that they were there. One of them let out an oath and snatched at the back of his vest, but his hand never connected. Adam was a good four meters down the hallway when he realized that Teela wasn't following after him even if the guards were. _She must have left via the balcony, _he thought. _Probably a good idea. We're both going to be in enough trouble as it is._

Seconds later, Adam darted down a flight of stairs, out a door and emerged into the morning sunlight. He could still hear his pursuers, but so much the better. If someone was attacking the archives, the guards could help. The prince was halfway to his destination when the siren suddenly cut off in mid-screech. He quickened his pace. Finally, Adam cut sharply around the last corner between him and the archives… and ran right into the king.

_Oh crud! I'm a dead man! _

Randor, temporarily stunned by their collision, caught hold of his son's arms to steady them both as they started to topple. When all four feet were firmly on the ground, the king blinked, seeming abruptly to realize just who it was he was holding onto.

"Adam!" he bellowed. "What on the darkside are you doing here?"

Taking a deep breath, the prince plunged in feet first. "I heard the alarm," he said hurriedly. "I want to help! What's wrong? Is Skeletor attacking?" There were guards everywhere, swarming in and around the archives.

A strange kaleidoscope of emotions passed in a blur across the king's face. When they settled, Adam was left looking up into a grim, implacable resolve that made his stomach flip over in his abdomen.

Just then, the guards caught up with them, swearing under their breath. Adam had no eyes for them, though. He couldn't have removed his gaze from his father's face if his life had depended upon it. "Let me stay!" he begged. "I want to help!"  
The king's eyes flashed. For a moment his hands tightened almost painfully on his son's arms. Then his father pushed him firmly, but gently toward the waiting guards. "Take him back to his rooms, and this time see that he stays there," Randor snapped. When Adam started back toward him, another plea on his lips, Randor held out a hand, palm forward toward his son. "You will return to your rooms right now! That is an order from your king! Do you understand me?'

The prince nodded and his eyes dropped to the sidewalk. He heard his father's words only dimly as the king called Mekanek over and asked him to escort Adam back to his rooms. When the Master took him by the arm and pulled him away, the prince did not struggle. The guards trailed silently after them, fingering their swords.

When they reached his rooms, Adam went inside with complaint or demur. To his surprise, Mekanek came with him. The prince was left standing awkwardly in the center of his bed chamber, unsure what to do or say, as the Master seated himself in a chair near the balcony.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mekanek asked softly.

The prince shook his head, not looking in the Master's direction.

"Look, Adam, I can tell something's not right between you and your father," the older man said, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. "If I can help, or if you even just need someone to talk to, a chance to blow off some steam, I'm here for you. You do know that, don't you?"

Biting his lower lip, Adam nodded hesitantly. How could he talk to Mekanek about what was wrong when he didn't understand what was happening himself? And if he told the Master what he'd overheard his parents discussing with Man-At-Arms, well, that might just verge on treason. For all Adam knew, Jared was some kind of state secret. Teela did say that his files were in the restricted section of the palace database.

Besides, what could Mekanek possibly do to help? Maybe there was nothing wrong at all. Maybe Adam was just cracking under the pressure, seeing dangers where there were none. Or… maybe… maybe his father just didn't care anymore and was sick of having him underfoot and always screwing things up.

Fighting against the urge to cry and scream and generally throw a tantrum, Adam started walking toward his bed. "I'm tired. Do you think it'd be okay if I lay down for a while?"

"Sure, kid," Mekanek said, leaning far enough back in his chair for the sunlight from the window to glint off his visor. "I'll just sit here and take a little catnap myself. I'm sure the king will let us know as soon as everything's all right."

Shrugging, but not daring to speak further, Adam laid down on top of the covers, turning his back on the Master. He didn't actually expect to sleep since he'd only been awake a few hours, but feigning slumber would help him ward off the heart-to-heart talk that Mekanek was obviously determined to have with him. Closing his eyes, Adam tried not to think about the downward spiral his life seemed to be in. The list of rotten things was rapidly beginning to outweigh the list of good ones in his life.

He'd lost the respect of his father and most of the Masters. His mother still loved him, but she clearly found his sudden change in behavior baffling and disturbing. He also knew that Prince Adam's cowardice was an ongoing topic of conversation for the courtiers. The palace servants showed him the same blend of respect and kindness with which they'd always treated him, but he sometimes found them giving him odd looks when they didn't think he was watching. Nervous looks. Looks that said more loudly than words, "When you are king, will I be safe?"

Teela said she still wanted to be friends, but who knew how long that would last or how spectacularly it would end…

As for those who knew the secret, well, they weren't an incredibly supportive bunch. The Sorceress was first and foremost a stranger and a critical authority figure. Neither quality made a close relationship between them likely, and the same applied to Zodak. Orko was too unreliable and, though a good friend, he was undeniably an alien. There were times when he just didn't understand humans, their emotions or the reasons why they behaved as they did. He wasn't really someone you could take your troubles to.

Then there was Man-At-Arms. When Adam was little, Man-At-Arms had been like an uncle to him, playing with him and Teela, always there to give the young prince a hug or a word of praise. But now – Duncan hadn't exactly been what you'd call warm and fuzzy since the Mystic Wall came down. He'd grown more and more stern as the prince's sixteenth birthday approached, less like a friend and more like a drill sergeant. But after Adam's birthday it had gotten even worse.

Man-At-Arms didn't seem to understand or care what the weight of this power was like, what the incredible responsibility of being He-Man was doing to Adam. So long as He-Man was available when needed, and so long as no one suspected that Adam was He-Man, Duncan just didn't seem to care much about the boy himself. There had been that one moment of closeness, one brief instance of connection when Man-At-Arms had comforted Adam after the attack on the village of Felis Qadi. But that had been a lone resurgence of the compassionate uncle that the prince remembered.

_Did I ever matter to him? _Adam asked himself, stifling a yawn._ Was it ever really me, Adam, that he cared about? Or was it all just an act? He knew I was He-Man from the start. He knew what I'd grow up to become, and he put himself into a position to be able to guide and control me. What if… what if he doesn't care about me at all? What if I mean no more to Man-At-Arms than I do to my father?_

Adam squeezed his eyes tightly shut, his whole body tensing as he struggled to hold back the flood of tears he could feel rushing to the fore. What good would crying do? What good was self-pity? _Quit wasting your time, Adam! So life stinks. So what? What good will it do to let people see how much it hurts?_

Besides, there was still Cringer and his horse, Clomper. Mekanek still cared and Ram-Man still seemed genuinely fond of him. No telling how long it would take for those two Masters to become as fed up with him as the rest of them were, but for now, it was enough. It would have to be enough, because there were no alternatives.

_I suppose I could run away? _Adam thought sleepily. _I could get a berth on a merchant ship, or maybe find a farmstead that would take me on? Of course, that would mean abandoning Grayskull. If I did that, I really would be a coward. Would it be worth it, I wonder…_

"Don't be silly, Prince Adam," Jared said, a distinct laugh in his voice. "You were never meant to be a sailor or a farmer. My dear boy, you are destined for great things. Surely you know that?"

Adam sat up with a jerk, and discovered that he'd been reclining on a soft bed of clover in the middle of a large, cool meadow. Jared, the mysterious stranger he'd been so desperate to learn more about, was sitting in the tall grass, his legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles as he leaned back on his hands and smiled contentedly up at the brilliant blue sky.

All the usual sort of inane questions flashed through Adam's mind. _Where am I? What happened? Who are you? Why are you doing this? _And on, and on, and on. But the prince's jaw was clenched so tightly shut that his teeth began to hurt, and he was spared the indignity of uttering any of the patently ridiculous phrases. Scrambling to his feet, he took several long steps back and surveyed his environs.

The meadow in which he found himself was surrounded by a wall of fir trees. The sun was hanging high in the eastern sky, and there was low range of mountains visible in the southern sky beyond the top of the forest. There were no buildings. No signs. No carts. No cabins. No campfires. In point of fact, no sign of human habitation at all save for the presence of himself and his abductor.

"Well, this is a neat trick," Adam growled, turning an exasperated glare on the lounging courtier. "Skeletor usually waits until someone leaves the palace before he tries to grab them, but you snatched me right out of my own bedroom."

Jared squinted up at him, his pale blue eyes narrowed against the bright sunlight. "Don't be dreary, Adam. If you're going to make a fuss about how I brought you here, we're going to lose what little time we have to talk together."

"You want to talk?" Adam blinked, then rolled his eyes heavenward as if expecting to find answers to his questions hanging in the very air. "You brought me here to talk?"

"Well, our conversation in the stables was rather abruptly cut off by your attack of nerves."

The prince's brow knit in confusion. "Our what?" He shook his head. "But… but the last time I saw you was in Orsinol… "

"Not quite," Jared said, rising to his feet with a sly grin.

Adam backed hastily away, wondering where in the name of the Elders he was and whether it would be crazier to risk staying with this unbelievably unbalanced man or to run away into the unknown. His decision was made for him when the older man's eyes began to spark with emerald fire. The prince turned and dashed away, making for the treeline at top speed. He'd gone no more than a few meters, however, when he was struck from behind by a bolt of energy and frozen in place.

He strained against the magical field that held him, but he couldn't move a single muscle. Even his eyes were frozen in the exact same position they'd occupied when the spell had hit him. His forward vision saw nothing save open meadow and distant trees, but there was a greenish glow in his peripheral vision. Then Adam's gut churned as his body, still immobilized, was slowly pulled back through the air until he was floating beside Jared.

_He's some kind of wizard, _Adam thought with no small degree of alarm. _He could do anything to me here, and I don't even know where I am…_

"Why must you keep panicking?" Jared demanded, sounding more than a little irritated. "I've never harmed you. I've never done anything to indicate that intended to harm you, and yet you treat me like a leper."

Adam wished he could turn his head to look Jared in the face, wished he could say something… say anything to end this madness, but he remained utterly petrified. His eyes were beginning to sting from his inability to blink, and if he didn't swallow he feared he might choke on his own saliva. He'd never realized just how many tiny muscles his body possessed that were vital for activities other than walking, running and lifting. The prince couldn't even make any noise, and he found himself wondering if the larynx was a muscle too. Why he was still able to breathe was beyond him.

"As if I would suffocate you!" Jared exclaimed, walking around in front of him planting his hands angrily on his hips. Adam watched him nervously, now certain that Jared could read his very thoughts.

"Of course I can hear your thoughts. You're practically shouting at me, you know." The wizard raised one elegantly tapered hand. There was a flash of light, and Adam fell to the clover. He landed on his stomach in a pose reminiscent of a belly flop, and the air went out of him in a great whoosh. He was, however, able to move his muscles again.

Adam blinked furiously, trying to clean the grit from his aching eyes. A shadow lay across his body, Jared's shadow, and the prince was in no particular hurry to rise just yet. He was not anxious to confront the wizard, not when he had little hope of imminent rescue and no idea what the wizard wanted from him. Maybe if he just curled up and closed his eyes, he'd find that this was all a dream and wake up on his own bed, in his own room with Mekanek standing watch over him. _Because my father doesn't trust me._

The shadow shifted across him and there was a thump in the clover beside the prince. Adam looked over and was startled to find Jared sitting beside him with his knees drawn up to his chest and a melancholy expression on his face. "I'm sorry, my boy. That's my fault. Randor is trying, in his typical bull-headed way, to keep us apart. And you are suffering for it."

Adam rolled onto his haunches, putting some small distance between them in the process. "I don't understand. Why do you want to see me so badly?" He scowled. "And what do you mean about me always panicking? Why do you keep talking like we know each other? What – "

Jared held up a hand, cutting off the prince's string of accusing queries. "Perhaps this well help," he said somberly. The wizards hands and eyes began to glow. Before Adam could even begin to back away, a stream of energy shot toward him…

The prince awoke lying on his back in the clover. His head was elevated slightly, pillowed on some soft surface which helped his headache only marginally. "I'm sorry, my boy. That shouldn't have hurt. I fear I used a bit too much power. I'll be more gentle next time."

Adam's eyes snapped open and he found himself looking up into a familiar and yet strangely alien face that was far too close to his own. The prince flinched, nearly overwhelmed by the combined force of Jared's proximity and the memories that were bursting through barriers in his mind. For what felt like an eternity, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, he just lay there, trying to unravels the tangled threads of memory and weave them into a coherent picture.

"Adam, child, are you all right?"

"You… you were in the stables," the prince stuttered, massaged his forehead with one shaking hand. "Why didn't I remember that you – we spoke together and you… YOU ATTACKED ME!"

Adam tried to roll off the older man's lap, but Jared wrapped strong arms around him. Still feeling weak and disoriented, the prince had no choice but to remain where he was, though his entire body trembled in protest.

"Easy, my boy. Easy," the wizard murmured in a misguided attempt to calm him. "I didn't attack you. I merely blocked your memories of our last meeting so you wouldn't go running off, carrying tales to Randor and Duncan."

"What difference does it make?" Adam demanded.

"If they knew for certain that I could move with some degree of freedom on the very palace grounds themselves, they'd lock you up so tightly that I could never get to you, Adam. I need to see you, to talk with you, and without any interference from that crown-wearing buffoon."

"Don't insult my father!" Adam yelled, sitting up suddenly. Eyes squinted tightly shut, he clutched at his head as the world spun around him. "Besides, you still attacked me. Explaining why you did it doesn't change the fact that you _did _attack me. The reason doesn't matter."

Adam's hands dropped from his face and his eyes snapped open as he felt a hand settle caressingly on his lower cheek and jaw. "Oh, but reasons do matter, my boy. They are the only thing that does matter. Why we behave as we do defines who we are. I could not be who and what I am if I did not desire to see you above all other things."

"Do you know how creepy you are?" Adam squeaked, scooting away.

The wizard said nothing, merely staring at him. Knowing that it was futile to run, the prince stopped only a short meter away from his captor and returned the older man's stare. They stayed that way for some while, neither of them speaking. A soft breeze blew through the meadow, sending strands of Adam's hair dancing across his forehead, tickling his skin.

But the wind was their only companion. There were no animals or birds in sight. No people other than they two. And Jared remained utterly still and mute. When Adam could bear the silence no longer, he sidled a further meter away, trying to look casual about it, and said, "Where are we?"

Jared blinked furiously for a moment, seeming to have some difficulty hauling himself back from whatever inner landscape he'd spent the last several minutes contemplating. "What?"

"Where are we?" the prince repeated, wondering if he had any hope of getting an honest answer.

Jared considered him for a moment, then in a mechanical-sounding voice, he said, "We're on the southern continent of Raelou. This meadow is located within the Great Sylvestrian Forest." Adam's brow knit as he tried to remember any references from his lessons to the places that Jared had named. He'd spent some time studying the geography of Raelou, but…

"This is my first time on one of the southern continents," the prince offered tentatively. Jared was frighteningly and obviously up to no good, that was undeniable, but nothing would be served by alienating the wizard. _Man-At-Arms always said that the best way to stay alive was to make your captors like you. _He swallowed nervously. "I've never heard of the Great Sylvestrian Forest…"

Jared hummed quietly under his breath, then ran a hand haphazardly through his pale blonde hair. "I'm not surprised," he admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Why?"  
"Why what?" the wizard asked calmly.

"Why aren't you surprised?" Adam asked with forced patience.

Jared snorted. "Because, my dear child, this particular forest was almost entirely destroyed by over-harvesting more than five millennia ago."

The prince's eyes widened of their own accord. "Five _thousand_ years ago? But… but how – I mean, we're here, aren't we?"

"In a manner of speaking," Jared said with a laugh like bells in the wind. His blue eyes crinkled. "You needn't worry, Adam. I'll return you safely to your home when we've done with talking. In the meantime – " The wizard clapped his hands sharply together, and there was yet another of those increasingly ubiquitous green flashes.

When his vision cleared, the prince saw that several mundanely familiar items had appears on their bed of grass and clover. _A picnic basket?! He can't be serious. _In addition to the basket, there was also a large blanket, an ancient looking lute, a purple-tinted bottle of some sparkling liquid, a heavy leather-bound book, a deck of cards, several pillows, and something that Adam suspected was a folded up easel and paints.

Feeling a bit like the proverbial boy who walked through the mouth of a cave and found himself in another world where birds flew upside down and time ran backwards, Adam turned a baffled stare upon his captor, cu.m host. Jared, seemingly oblivious to the prince's growing panic, stood and began to lay out the large blanket for them to sit on.

"What are you doing?" Adam squeaked, knowing how stupid the question was but unable to stop himself from asking.

"Preparing luncheon," the wizard explained off-handedly as he wafted the blanket through the air and settled it on the ground. "Would you spread out the pillows while I unpack the hamper?"

"You can't be serious!" Adam exclaimed, forgetting for the moment his silent vow to humor the stranger. "First you practically manhandle me in Orsinol, then you attack me in the stables, and now you want to have a picnic?"

Jared, caught in the midst of bending over and peering into the open basket, raised his eyes to glare exasperatedly at the prince. "There's no need to be so melodramatic, Adam. I've never hurt you, and I never will. You may depend upon that."

_Yeah. Sure I can…_

His lukewarm response to this reassurance must have been blatantly obvious to the wizard, for Jared laughed and said, "I don't bite, Adam. I won't kill you. I won't torture you. I won't even swear at you. Satisfied?"

The prince shrugged, and Jared went back to unpacking the picnic basket.

Forcing himself to breathe slowly and evenly, and never taking his eyes off Jared for a moment, Adam got up and began distributing the pillows around the edges of the blanket. It was only then, standing over the object and looking down upon it, that Adam recognized the blanket. It was a quilt… and not just any quilt, but one that his great-grandmother, Charlin had lovingly made with her own frail hands decades before the prince had even been born. It had been part of his grandmother Rilina's trousseau when she married his grandfather, Miro. Over the long years, the quilt had become as frail as its maker, though, and it now hung in a protective case on the wall in the king and queen's bedchamber.

And yet, here it was.

Perplexed, Adam dropped to his knees and ran his hand over the familiar patterns of the fabric, feeling with his fingers, for the first time, the textures that his eyes knew so well. How could this be here, of all places? And where was _here_?

Adam wandered around the edge of the blanket, smoothing the creases out of it while Jared set out their meal. But his busyness was nothing more than a cover, something to give him an opportunity to move around without arousing the wizard's suspicions. As he circled their impromptu picnic, he peered out from beneath his lashes, studying their surroundings.

_There's something I'm missing,_ he though worriedly. _I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something wrong with this place. Something… _

Then it hit him, and his mind reeled with the blow. _The wind's blowing. I can feel it. But the trees and the grass aren't moving at all. Nothing's moving but us and the wind. _Straightening up, Adam marched away from the blanket.

"Adam, you can't leave," Jared called after him, sounding distinctly put out by the prince's sudden desertion. "Why do you insist on making things difficult?"

"I'm not trying to leave," Adam shot back at him. "I'm looking at something!" Then, hurrying for fear that Jared would try to stop him, Adam trotted over to a small stand of flowers on the other side of the meadow. Once there, he dropped to his knees and carefully inspected the blooms. As was only natural, a number of insects were visible crawling up stalks and across petals. A few bees were even zipping from flower to flower. What was not natural, was the insects' complete lack of movement. They were, each and every one of them, frozen in place as if carved there out of time itself.

The prince rose numbly to his feet and wandered back to the blanket where his pernicious host was waiting impatiently for him. "Did you discover what you hoped to?" Jared asked, looking up at him and squinting his pale blue eyes against the bright sunlight.

"I think so." Adam sat cross-legged on the blanket. "I just can't decide whether you've somehow taken us back in time, or whether you've just frozen the world around us. Either one could explain part of what I'm seeing here."

Jared nodded knowingly. "And your verdict?"

"Well, time travel is still theoretical. I mean, if Man-At-Arms hasn't figured out how to do something, odds are that you can't do it."

"Quite true," Jared agreed. "Duncan is one of the most resourceful men I've ever known where science is concerned." The wizard handed him a plate and Adam took it. He hesitated, looking down at the food, but there seemed little point in not eating. After all, there were much easier ways for Jared to kill him. Why bother with poison?

The prince continued. "You did say this forest was destroyed a few thousand years ago, but I only have your word for that. So, this could be a real forest and you just froze everything… except the wind."

"If I stopped the wind, we'd die from our own exhalations," the older man said wryly.

Adam's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah. I guess that's true."

"So, what is your final supposition?"

Taking a quick, deep breath, Adam blurted out, "I have no clue where we are, how we got here or if I'm ever going home again."

Jared rolled his eyes heavenward. "Stop that, my boy. For the Ancients' sake. I will send you home. Now eat your chicken."

Adam ate.

Gazing across at Jared, the prince was struck by how rational the man could seem at some moments and how completely insane at others. _He's like two different people. But then, I suppose, so am I. _To find even a mild similarity between them was both disturbing and comforting. Of course, there were other similarities as well.

With his memories of their encounter in the palace stables returned to him, Adam found himself forced to reconsider his overall impression of the wizard. Admittedly, Jared had abducted, bespelled and badly frightened Adam, but he had not actually harmed him. The wizard, if his story could be believed, had once kept a pet tiger for whom he was still in mourning. Anyone who loved and missed a pet couldn't be completely evil, could they? Then again, Skeletor seemed rather devoted to Panthor, so that might not be the best way to judge a fellow's character. However, in this same situation, Skeletor would likely have eviscerated him by now, so –

"I brought Lissa here once," Jared said, breaking into his train of thought. "She wanted to see the forest."

Adam blinked, and paused in the midst of lifting a sliver of lemon chicken to his mouth. "Huh?" The wizard turned an icy, soulless stare upon him, and Adam gulped, dropping his plate to the blanket. Jared's eyes look strangely hollow, a vast void filled only with an overwhelming sense of grief. _Oh, man…_

Then, abruptly, the wizard seemed to shake off his melancholia. He rubbed his face briskly for a moment, then favored the prince with yet another sheepish smile. "I've frightened you, and I'm sorry for that," he said. "I suppose I should have taken things more slowly, but it's hard for me. It's a dreadful thing, to be alone, Adam. It changes you. Changes you on the inside, where it doesn't show, and you forget what it's like to be with other people. My social skills are, I fear, a bit rusty."

Adam swallowed hard, fighting back a fit of nerves. Maybe Jared wasn't evil. Maybe he was just… lonely… and a touch crazy. Well, maybe more than a touch. Maybe a lot. A whole lot. Forcing a smile, he said, "No problem. I think I can kind of understand where you're coming from. No one should be alone." The prince's gaze fell to the blanket, his eyes suddenly hot with tears. "No one." _And I should know._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Something warm and firm settled on his back. "Hey! Kid! Wake up!" Something shook him. "Come on, Adam! Wake up!"

"Uhhhnn…" Not really awake, Adam grumbled in protest as his back was shaken again. He tried to swat away whatever was manhandling him, but he couldn't seem even to twitch his arms. His body was so heavy, so –

Adam sat up with a shriek, his eyes wide with shock as icy water dribbled down the back of his neck, disappearing beneath his shirt and sending chills up and down his spine. "Gah!" More of the cold stuff dampened his hair, making it hang limply down into face. Yet more soaked the front of his shirt, soaking through to his skin and making him shiver. "Mekanek! How – why – what the heck are you doing?!"

The Master was leaning over him, still holding the pitcher with which he must have doused his slumbering prince. If it was a prank, however, he did not look very amused by its results. "If this is how heavily you normally sleep, it's a wonder you ever get up at all," Mekanek said, sounding exasperated.

"What'd you do that for?!" Adam demanded, wrapping his arms around himself in an effort to control his shivering. He clamped his jaw closed once he got the question out lest his teeth began chattering and shaking as much as the rest of him.

Mekanek sat down on the bed beside him and put on arm around his shoulder, pulled him close, and began chaffing his arms. "I'd wrap your blankets around you, but they got wet too. I think I used too much water."

"No k-kidding," Adam said, fighting to get the words past his trembling lips. The water had been very cold, and waking so suddenly had left him feeling more than a touch disoriented and shocky. "With friends like you…"

Mekanek laughed. "Yeah, I know. 'Who needs enemies?' Well, at least it woke you up. I was beginning to think it would take a bomb."

"But why did you wake me? I thought you said I could sleep."

"That was more than two hours ago, kid. And you were having some kind of nightmare. It must have been pretty bad because you were rolling around on the bed, muttering in your sleep."

"I was? Ancients, I must have looked really pathetic."

"No, not pathetic, Adam. It happens to me sometimes too, when life gets overwhelming. Nightmares are no fun, but they're nothing to be ashamed of."

Adam shrugged.

"I wasn't sure at first that I should wake you, since I couldn't understand what you were saying, but when you started crying – "

"I was crying!" Adam groaned, looking utterly stunned. "Oh no. I am such a complete waste of air!"

"Hey! Don't talk like that!" Mekanek exclaimed, pulling the prince into a tight hug. "I don't know what's causing you so much pain and grief right now, but I do know that you are _not_ a waste of air!" Adam let himself be hugged, and even managed to take some comfort from the gesture, but after a while his damp clothes began to itch in a way that had him squirming.

Rising to his feet, the Master pulled Adam up with him. "I think it's time to get you into some dry clothes," he said with a grin. "Why don't you go change, and I'll send for someone to change your bedding?"

Adam nodded and shuffled toward the bathroom, still rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. It had been several minutes since he's been so rudely awakened, maybe even a quarter hour, but he still felt horribly heavy limbed and muddy minded. He just couldn't seem to shake the fatigue off. _Stress. Maybe that's why I'm tired. Stress and depression can wear you out. Mek slept for days on end after Phillip…yeah, that's it._

The bathroom door was nearly closed when he heard Mekanek yell, "Take hot bath too!"

Adam sighed gustily, not really annoyed any longer. "Yes, Mama!" Then he closed the door firmly and began shedding his sodden clothing. It took only seconds for the tub to be filled with steaming hot water, and the prince sank gratefully into its depths. The sunken bathtub had many wonderful features, most invented by Man-At-Arms, including special jets of water that could massage away sore muscles and ease tension. Giving in to a sudden, childish urge, Adam grabbed a bottle on the side of the basin and poured a tankard's worth of gooey liquid soap into the tub with him. Within minutes, the jets had contrived with the hot water to turn the soap into a heaping mound of bubbles that spilled over the edges of the tub and disappeared into drains in the bathroom floor.

More than enough bubbles remained behind, however, for Adam to play with them until he was so dried out that his skin was in danger of cracking off and blowing away like dead leaves. Before that time came, he built frothy castles, dug long, iridescent tunnels and generally played with the sloppy stuff in a way that he hadn't played for years. It was incredibly soothing, and he was feeling much better about life in general and his life in specific by the time he got out of the tub

But then, talking with Mekanek usually had that effect on him as well. Mek was so understanding, so undemanding, and… Mek was a father. The Master might not be Adam's father, but his son had been one of Adam's closest friends before he died. These days Mekanek was a father without a child, and there were times when Adam felt like a child without a father… at least without a father that really cared about him. But there was no denying that Mekanek cared. He had such a good heart, and he was always to so anxious to be of help to everyone. If there was a way that he could help him, Adam knew that Mekanek would do it in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that the good-natured Master could do to ease his prince's burden. Finding a way to tell him that without telling him why he couldn't help was going to be decidedly awkward. _Or… maybe not. What if Mekanek knows something about Jared?! He's been around since forever! He might be able to answer my questions!_

Hurriedly drying off and pulling on a robe, Adam yanked open the bathroom door and darted into his room. "Hey, Mek! There's something I want to ask – " The prince's words stopped like a lump in his throat as he saw one of the maids, Lanau pulling back the blankets on his bed, preparatory to remaking it with fresh linens. It was not the maid's presence which caught his eyes, but the little green leaves – no, not leaves, clovers – the little green clovers that were scattered between his sheets. _Where did those come from? _he wondered. _And why does looking at them make my stomach want to tie itself into a knot?_

"What'd you want to ask me?"

Adam didn't respond, his every thought still fixated on the bed and the bits of clover that the maid was rapidly sweeping into her hand. When she moved to throw the leaves away, his eyes followed her, passing over Mekanek as if he wasn't even there. _Something... That means something… I can almost…_

The master walked over, blocking Adam's view of the maid and interrupting the almost tangible bond between the prince's thoughts and the clover. Adam felt the connection snap with an inaudible twang. Suddenly dizzy, he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head to clear it. When he started to sway slightly, Mekanek grabbed him by the shoulders and rapidly guided him to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, look, can you finish that later?" Mekanek asked, looking over his shoulder at the maid as he sat down beside Adam. "We need to be alone for a while."

"Of course, sir." Lanau gave the prince a worried glance, and Adam did his best to smile reassuringly at her. Somehow, he didn't think he'd succeeded when her eyes widened in alarm. Groaning, Adam closed his eyes once more and lowered his head into his hands. Great. Just great. Now the palace servants would be convinced that he had vapors or some such. Dimly, he heard the light sound of Lanau's footsteps retreating, and a moment later the door to the suite opened and closed again.

With a sigh, the prince rubbed at his eyes, wishing he could start this week over.

"All right," Mekanek said, "What's going on?" When Adam looked up at him, the master removed his helmet and dropped it onto the floor. "Well?"

"Give me a minute," the prince muttered, stalling for no reason he clearly understood.

"Uh uh. No more time," the master insisted, his grip on Adam's shoulders tightening ever so slightly. "If you don't tell me what's wrong right now, I'm calling Dorgan and you're getting a full medical exam. Now spill it."

Adam blinked up at him, appalled. The resolution he saw in Mekanek's face left him with no doubts. That was one threat that the master would carry out without hesitation. And one fate that Adam definitely wanted to avoid. And hadn't he wanted to ask Mekanek about Jared anyway? Why was he hesitating? It was like his tongue was suddenly stuck to the roof oh his mouth.

Grimacing fiercely, his face contorting so thoroughly that the master actually flinched backwards, Adam finally managed to blurt out his question. "Have you ever heard of a man named Jared?"

"The blacksmith on -- ?

The prince shook his head violently. "No. No. This man is a wizard or a mage or something. At least, I saw him do one spell. Oh, and I think he may be a criminal or something."

"You saw him do a spell?"

Adam nodded.

Mekanek's eyes widened. "When did you see him?

"In Orsinol. The night we came home."

"Does your father know you saw him?" the master asked, his voice strangely neutral.

"Yeah. That's why… at least, I think that's why he made me come home early."

For a moment, Mekanek said nothing more, merely turning his head to gaze out the window. There was an expression on his face that reminded Adam of Teela when she was just on the verge of solving a particularly difficult math problem. One that had been frustrating her for some time.

Looking back at the prince, Mekanek finally said, "Have you asked Randor why he made you come home?"

Adam clenched his jaw, and then stopped when it unexpectedly hurt. He was probably going to have bruises from where his father had grabbed him. That was just great. Mom would have a conniption.

"Adam? Answer me, please. I can't help you if you hold anything back."

"Yeah, I asked him," Adam snapped, the bitterness in his tone unmistakable. "Do you think he answered?" He laughed. "Not likely! Why should he bother to tell me anything? It's not like he cares what I think."

Mekanek blinked furiously for a moment, seemingly taken aback by the level of hostility that Adam knew he had to be radiating. For several seconds they sat quietly, Adam not quite sure what to more to say or whether he should apologize.

"Look, Adam, I know there's been some tension recently between you and your father. And I know you've both been angry with each other from time to time."

The prince shrugged. Mekanek's statement hardly needed affirmation.

"And I know," Mekanek said, placing his hand very gently on the side of Adam's face, "that he hurt you this morning."

The prince blinked, and opened his mouth to speak, but he could think of nothing to say. No words could get past the shock that constricted his throat. Finally, he managed to croak, "How…"

Mekanek smiled sympathetically. "He told me Adam. I know this will be hard for you to hear, but I think he was as hurt by what happened as you were. He was so horrified by what he'd done, so very ashamed. I don't you can imagine how badly he really feels."

Adam's jaw clenched. How could Mekanek claim his father was sorry? How could he defend him? And if Randor was so sorry – "Then why did he do it!?!" Adam demanded, tears of anger forming in his eyes. "And why hasn't said to me what he said to you?! Why did he just leave me? WHY?!"

With sigh, Mekanek stood up and walked to the window. He stood there with his hands behind his back, staring off into the distance as Adam walked slowly up behind him. "Mek?" the prince asked softly, alarmed buy the sudden sadness in the master's demeanor.

Without turning around, Mekanek began to speak. "Adam, the thing that you need to understand is that parents are just people, and like anyone they get angry." He paused, sighed deeply, and then went on. "Do you remember that time we went to the seashore, and Phillip hid and called out to me, trying to make me think that he fell off the cliff so I'd come save him?"

A burst of laughter, quickly cut off, escaped the prince's lips. "Yeah. He thought it was great way to get you to be all heroic in front of his friends. Right until you went ballistic that is. After that, he didn't think it was such a good idea any more."

Mekanek turned around to face Adam, and the prince was relieved to see that the master was smiling. "That certainly wasn't one of his brighter ideas, but its clearly a fond memory for you. What I bet you don't remember," he said, his smile becoming distinctly chagrined, "is that Phillip had hand shaped bruises on his arms for about a week after that incident from me grabbing him."

"I'm sure you didn't mean to do it!" Adam blurted, horrified by the idea that Mekanek might have been carrying an unreasonable load of guilt around with him all these years. "You didn't mean to hurt him!"

"Of course I didn't mean to hurt him, but sometimes when adults are scared, especially parents, that fear gets all mixed up with the love we feels for our kids and it comes out as anger. You've heard Duncan yell at Teela when she does something that frightens him."

"Yeah," Adam said quietly. "He yells at me for that, too."

"Well what happened with your father is the same sort of thing. Or do you think that he meant to hurt you the way he did?" Mekanek asked, fixing the prince with a piercing gaze. "Do you?"

"No," Adam whispered, blinking his eyes against sudden flood of tears. "I know he didn't mean to, and I know that he… he—"

"He loves you," Mekanek prompted, dipping his head lower to look directly into Adam's eyes.

"But then why did he say—" the tears began to fall in earnest, and Adam choked back a sob. "Why did he say that to me?!"

"Say what?" Mekanek asked, looking baffled and more than a touch annoyed.

The prince hoped devoutly that the annoyance was directed at his father, because he just didn't think that he could handle having one more person angry with him right now. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice wouldn't come and he shrugged hopelessly, wiping at his eyes with the heels of his hands.

To Adam's delight and utter humiliation, Mekanek pulled him into a tight hug, resting Adam's head on his shoulder and rocking him ever so slightly. "Ah, kid. Let it out. Just let go."

For several minutes, all the prince did was cry, taking comfort in Mekanek's undemanding love. He devoutly hoped that the conversation was over, and that he could find a hole to crawl into somewhere where he could die of embarrassment after the master let him go, but Mekanek was far from finished. Once Adam had stopped sobbing, Mekanek continued right where they'd left off without, however, relaxing the hug.  
"He said something hurtful, didn't he?"

Adam nodded against Mekanek's shoulder, far too ashamed to admit what, specifically, his father had said to him. To his surprise, Mekanek snorted and began to laugh in decidedly ironic tones.

"Ah, Captain Randor rides again."

"What?" Adam asked, pulling away slightly so he could look the master in the face.

"Did I ever tell you what a horrible temper your father used to have when he was a captain in the Eternian Army and what a hard time he had controlling it?"

Adam shook his head, some confused by the apparent change in topic.

"Well, he did, and it used to burst out spectacularly. That's what I mean by, Randor rides again.' I wouldn't take it too seriously. You should have heard what he called me once, right after I first joined up." Mekanek began to laugh in earnest. "I was so excited to be serving under Captain Miro's son, so convinced that I was on the verge of great adventure… and so utterly fumble-fingered and useless."

"Really?" Adam asked quietly.

"Oh yes," Mekanek said, nodding. Randor ranted at me for a good twenty minutes or more." Taking a deep breath, Mekanek began speaking in a very bad imitation of Adam's father's voice. " 'How do they expect me to win a battle when they send me idiots like you? I've seen better marksmanship by a horse! If you're not serious about being a soldier then at least stay out of the way of those of us who are! Blasted, back-bred fool!' And that's only a small sample. But, I suppose I had it coming."

Adam's eyes widened and he found himself unexpected fighting back a grin.

"What did you do?" he asked in conspiratorial tones.

"At that point? I said 'Yes, sir!' and got out of his sigh fast."

"No," Adam said, laughing. "I mean, what did you do that made him say that?"

"Oh, uh," Mekanek hesitated, looking thoroughly sheepish. "I, uh, shot him in the foot."

"You shot him?!" Adam gasped, all embarrassment gone in the face of Mekanek's far bigger blunder.

"Only in the foot," the master defended himself. "It healed fast. Anyway, my point is that, I mean, I guess all of my points come down to this: grownups have bad days and say and do things they don't mean. Even fathers."

"Even kings?"

"Especially kings," Mekanek said with a grin. "All that extra stress and everything.

Adam sighed. "I suppose that's true, but still…"

"Look you want him to trust you, treat you with respect," Mekanek said, taking Adam's hands in his. "Well, that works both ways, Maybe he has a good reason for not telling you about that Jared guy, maybe he has a good reason for calling you back from Orsinol without explanation, and maybe, just maybe, he has a good reason for being scared right now."

"I guess… I never though of it like that," Adam said, his thoughts whirling. "So what should I do?"

Mekanek smiled broadly. "Why don't you try following his orders, however ludicrous they seem to you, and giving him the benefit of the doubt for once? Does that seem fair?"

Adam shrugged, too caught up in considering the master's words, and too embarrassed, to respond aloud.

"I'll take that as a yes," Mekanek said, tweaking the prince's nose. "Oh, and if you're not feeling better by tomorrow, I am siccing Dorgan on you. So get your rest, eat and drink plenty, and try to relax. Got it?"

Adam grinned. "Yes sir!"

"Buck up, kid. Things are bound to get better."


End file.
